To Fulfil
by GoldenBallsZ
Summary: She didn't have the dream of becoming a Pirate King, or becoming the best swordsman in the world, or drawing the map of the world. She had none. But ever since meeting the Straw Hats, she found her dream— to fulfil her crew mates' dreams. No matter what.
1. Chapter 1

"Xin Er, it's time to eat!"

The 3 year old girl reluctantly moved her eyes from the book on fairytales to fix it upon steaming dishes placed upon the table by her mother. "There's no shrimp?" The little girl asked, her clear diction unlike any 3 year old.

Mrs Lee— or Mrs Yue (following her husband's surname) clicked her tongue at the disappointed eyes of the small child. "You just ate them yesterday."

"That was yesterday." Cherry lips started to pout.

"You ate them for all three meals yesterday. You're going to get sick from eating so many." Mrs Yue shut down any protest from her daughter with a firm look. "Now sit down and eat."

Yue Xin turned her face away defiantly, anchoring herself to the cushioned chair.

"You're going to eat, whether you like it or not." Mrs Yue knew her child would eventually come crawling to her for food once her stomach started grumbling. But if she waited till then, the food would be cold. "Come here. Now."

Yue Xin's eyes flitted over her mother's face, judging silently whether her mother was getting annoyed.

 _A small, almost unnoticeable furrow between her brows._

 _An unsteady aura around her._

 _Yeap, getting annoyed._ Yue Xin concluded.

Yue Xin relocated from the chair to the dining table and hoisted herself up onto the high chair.

The dinner was silent with the very obedient child eating all her vegetables.

Mrs Yue casually studied Yue Xin as they ate, wondering just what had she done to give birth to such a...such an ...individualistic daughter. Yue Xin was exceptionally quiet for a young child who should be running around and screaming their head off every second. She usually engaged in unusual activities, for example: people watching.

Yue Xin would bring her teddy bear, totter out of the house without so much as a thought as to notify her parents about her whereabouts, sit in front of the door, and watch people walk by. Mrs Yue had a heart attack when Yue Xin first did that, as she couldn't find her two year old daughter anywhere in the house. Mrs Yue was already preparing to call the police when she opened the front door to find her missing child sitting right on the front steps, staring intently at a young man walking by with his dog.

Mrs Yue asked her daughter what she was doing, but the small child just ignored her, and continued watching. Mrs Yue told her to go in, because "There's a lot of baddies outside that can catch you", but her daughter replied— too coolly— "There's a fence around our house" and then promptly ignored her again.

"The fence cannot prevent people who want to enter from entering. It's only a low fence." Mrs Yue tried convincing Yue Xin.

"I will scream if people try to enter." Yue Xin sniffed her teddy bear, squishing it tightly against her chest before pretending her mother didn't exist.

That was the longest conversation Mrs Yue had with her child at the age of 3. Yue Xin rarely spoke, but when she did, it was never babble-talk like adults expect from children. She never wasted her words.

Mrs Yue had a shock when she learned from her other friends that children at the age of 3 weren't supposed to talk like that. She thought that she had given birth to an adult in a child's body, but she soon realised that it wasn't that.

Yue Xin was a child, just weirdly observational and very, very quiet.

She threw tantrums like any child would when they had to go for haircuts, cried a river when her playing time was cut short, refused to get up from the floor when she was denied her favourite sweet, and screamed like any normal child would when playing games with her only friend.

Mrs Yue pulled her gaze away from Yue Xin and polished off the rest of the rice in her bowl.

Well, her daughter may be weird, but she loved her all the same.

* * *

Yue Xin was at the playground, staring at the children flitting happily around the slides and the monkey bars.

Examining, categorising, making sense of every reason behind every action.

It was easier to do it with children around her age (since she is one herself)— but she had realised a very interesting point— adults were very easy to read once you understand the societal constraints that dictated their actions. To understand the purpose of what they did, to know what they liked and disliked. To know what is proper and improper.

She had a lot of missing information on this "society" as her mother once explained to her. Yue Xin wanted to fill up this gap in her logic. It irritated her that she had reached a blockade that couldn't be torn down until she was older.

She was getting bored just as a little boy ran up to her.

"Hey! Want to play tag with us? We need one more to make a full team."

"Ok!"

Off they ran, and a queer game of tag began.

In the Empire of Churia, martial arts were the basis of their living. Just like Wano Country famous for their samurais, the Empire of Churia is renowned for their martial arts. Almost every child in the country takes up martial arts training starting aged 3. And every 7 years, an international tournament takes place, attracting martial arts experts all over the world to fight for the crown of the world's best— the _Wu Zun_ — but that is a story for another time.

The children somersaulted over the rocking horses on the playground, dodging attempts at catching them with quick feet. Their parents watched with pride in their eyes as they climbed nimbly over every surface, using Qi to boost their movements.

Mrs Yue was positively beaming as she watched Yue Xin send a shaky leaf imbued with Qi under a chaser's feet, causing the chaser to slip and fall. "Look! My daughter can use Qi on objects now! Haha! Look at her!" Mrs Yue boasted to the mother beside her.

"No, no, my son is much better, he can use Qi to crack a wooden board 10 cm away!"

"Oh my! Really? My son is so lazy, he's still only at the very basics of running Qi within his body! "

"My goodness! You should really be more strict then— "

The women gathered at the side to boast about their children's achievements while the game of tag got more and more intense.

Mrs Yue kept an eye on her daughter, feeling somewhat relieved seeing Yue Xin grinning like any child should. Yue Xin typically only smiled when she had a lot of fun. The rest of the times, she had an expressionless face. It kind of worried Mrs Yue since she found it hard to understand what her child was thinking/feeling most of the times.

Being a mother was hard, Mrs Yue sighed.

* * *

 **The Empire of Churia (y'know ManCHURIA the last dynasty ) is based off of Ancient China in a more fantasy martial arts world setting. If there could be Wano that was based off of Feudal Japan, I wondered why not China, and just started this off on a whim.**

 **Yue Xin's name in chinese characters:**  
 **月馨**  
 **First character "yuè" means moon. Second character "xīn" means fragrance, a common character in names for females. Yue is her surname. Her name is Xin, yes, one character only. But usually the Chinese like to have 2 syllables when calling other people, so people call out her full name when speaking with her.**

 **You might be wondering why Mrs Yue calls Yue Xin: Xin Er** **（ 馨儿）**  
 **It's a nickname. When you are close to someone you can add an "ér** **儿"** **behind a character of their name while calling them.**  
 **For example, Li Chun Chun can be Chun Er.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Why are they wanted?" Yue Xin pointed at a leering face on a Wanted poster pasted over a noticeboard along the street.

Mrs Yue explained, "They are pirates! They do bad stuff to people, so the Government wants to catch them."

"Bad stuff?" Yue Xin eyed the 123 million bounty of the bald-headed pirate on the poster. Mrs Yue then remembered that Yue Xin wanted detailed explanations. She doesn't accept the superficial ones adults typically gave towards children.

"They pillage and plunder islands for loot. Sometimes they even capture citizens as hostages for ransom. They are very dangerous people, especially here in the New World. But we hardly get any pirates making a ruckus here since almost all our citizens are trained in the martial arts. They can only find themselves getting beaten if they were to try and attack us. We are also protected by the World Government because we pay the Heavenly Tribute. If there is any trouble, the Navy will be sent here to take care of it." Mrs Yue stopped to catch a breath, "If you ever see a pirate, you must run away immediately, okay? Inform an adult or the Navy, and then they will catch them."

Yue Xin nodded. Pirates were bad, she noted down mentally. She paused for a moment, absorbing all the information, then asked, "What is the Navy? What is Heavenly Tribute?"

Mrs Yue choked. She had been answering 10 thousand 'What' and 'Why' questions lately and she was kind of getting tired of it.

"Xin Er, you know the World Government that governs our world? Below them, there are many..."

* * *

The now 7 year old Yue Xin was going on a trip to the beachside with her parents.

Mr Yue was finally getting a holiday, and decided to bring the family for a camping trip over at a small beach that was fairly deserted. Little knew of this beach's existence, yet it provided the most magnificent view of the twinkling stars at night. The Yue Family decided to camp for a few nights at the unnamed beach to have some quality family time together.

They had a jolly good time after they arrived, with Mrs Yue giving Yue Xin her daily training, pointing out the lacking ways in which she used her Qi. Mr Yue was beside himself barbecuing the meat at the side.

"Take a deep breath. Call upon it, feel it running through every part of your body, from the tip of your hair roots to your toes." Mrs Yue's sharp eyes watched over her daughter as she continued, "Now push it out slowly, through your fingers, create a circle in the sand around you."

Yue Xin began to turn in place slowly, her hands out in front of her, brows furrowed in concentration.

A wobbly circle was soon traced out onto the sand by an unseen force.

"Good job!" Mrs Yue grinned. "You can eat an extra plate of shrimp later."

"Really? Yahoo!" Yue Xin jumped into the air, propelling herself with Qi and landing a perfect flip. "Will I get more shrimp if I do more, Mother?"

"How about trying this?" Mrs Yue dropped down into a stance, using a hand to beckon Yue Xin. "Let's duel. If you win I'll let you have another plate."

Yue Xin turned serious, judging the chances of her winning. "Ok. Let's do it."

Poor Mr Yue had to protect the barbecue from the sand flying around as Mrs Yue fought with their daughter hand to hand without Qi.

Yue Xin did her best against against her mother, utilising new techniques with Qi that her mother had taught her— but Mrs Yue wasn't about to let her child overdose on shrimp.

"Unfair." Yue Xin pouted as she dusted sand off her face and hair, having lost the duel.

"Nope. It's just that you aren't strong enough yet." Mrs Yue declared the painful truth.

Yue Xin sighed.

* * *

Yue Xin slipped out of the tent where her parents were soundly sleeping.

Something nagged at her to come out and see— see something. She breathed in the crisp night air, enjoying a few seconds of the sound of waves crashing against the beach.

What was it? What kept her awake at this time of the night?

She looked to the starlit skies.

 _Left_. A voice told her.

She followed her instincts, leaving tiny footprints in the sand and she trekked across the beach to her left.

The unnamed beach was small, when compared to other beaches, but it was still large enough to take an hour or so walking from one end to the other. Her parents always told her not to wander off anywhere without informing an adult, but the same instincts told her not to wake her parents up on this particular night.

Yue Xin walked aimlessly, looking out for anything amiss. She was at least 30 minutes away from their campsite but she hadn't spotted anything. The nagging feeling wasn't going away and she didn't want to turn back after walking so long.

Her determination paid off as she turned around a slight corner to find a gigantic ship floating silently in front of her.

Yue Xin grinned. Finally something interesting.

The ship had the head of a white whale, its sides decorated with many cannons ready to be fired at any time. Royal blue brushed the sides, and its imposing size was technically a wonder how it remained undetected at this beach. Perhaps the tall cliffs surrounding this beach that made it so closed off and unknown was one reason.

Yue Xin's eyes roved up, catching the mustached Jolly Roger painted on a black flag, flying upon the highest mast.

 _Pirates_.

Yue Xin froze.

They killed people, she remembered her mother telling her. Avoid them, she said.

Lights were visible in the ship, so that means pirates were in it. Yue Xin stared at the ship, wanting to gobble up every detail of it. Something new, fascinating— and absolutely cool had popped up. It would kill her to not learn everything about it. It wasn't something that could be found in the Empire's borders. Plus Yue Xin had a feeling that if she missed this one opportunity, she would probably never get another chance such as this ever again.

Yue Xin craved for new things that could give her thrills. Being very observational meant that she could usually predict what people would do next, since she understood their motives. Most of the times she felt very bored, so she seeked out peculiar things— which were usually dangerous.

Her voice of reason piped up, reminding her that she wouldn't be able to learn anything tonight if she were Swiss-cheesed with whatever weapons these pirates used.

 _But where is the fun without any danger?_

Then Yue Xin checked her heartrate and confirmed that she had a good ounce of fear in her to run right back to the camp.

 _Life? Or fun? With the possibility that fun leads to death._

Conflicted, Yue Xin just stood there, staring at Moby Dick. She wanted to feel the wood beneath her hands, and if she were lucky and sneaky enough, she could perhaps climb up and peek through one of the windows or at the deck.

But she didn't want to die either.

Yue Xin huffed in exasperation, but her feet wouldn't turn away from the towering ship.

* * *

"Oyaji! The nurses already said you can't drink any sake for 3 days!" Marco sighed at the old mustached man within the large seat on the deck.

"I do whatever I want." Whitebeard grumbled as he downed another cup. "Just a bottle won't kill me, Marco. Stop nagging like an old hen. _Gurararara_!"

Marco just sighed again and checked the IV drip that was attached to Whitebeard's arm.

Oyaji was getting old.

Marco felt his heart twist in pain at the thought that Oyaji would someday leave him— leave his children alone.

What would the Whitebeard pirates be without their father?

"Marco," Whitebeard called out to his First Division Captain, "There's a kid. Down there." He barely paused in his indulgence of alcohol when he said that.

"A kid?" Marco's eyebrows reached his very high (cough receding cough) hairline. "At this place? And time? I thought this beach was overlooked by the Empire? Why would anyone be here?"

He didn't doubt his father's words. Oyaji wouldn't lie about this kind of thing, but what kind of kid would come to this deserted beach?

"Bring the kid up. I want to see what kind of interesting things this kid will do!"

"Roger that, Captain."

And so began the staredown of a 7 year old child with a veteran pirate of the New World.

Yue Xin had watched this man (who seemed so tiny from a distance) jump off from the ship and walk over— slowly— to her. Panic seized her momentarily, but her unusual personality had her calming down and shifting all the gears in her head to maximum power.

Yue Xin liked to observe people, and that's what she did as the First Division Captain sauntered over, his gaze never leaving the small figure of the child clad in flowery pink pajamas robe (in the style that citizens of Empire of Churia wore).

Hands in pockets, sauntering gait. Common signs of confidence.

Half-lidded eyes. The pirate clearly didn't think much of her. Perhaps, a little underestimating?

Walking so slowly— definitely giving her a chance to run away, but she wasn't stupid like the other 7 year olds are (Maybe she was a little proud of the fact that her mental capabilities were something others at her age couldn't compare to). He was obviously signalling that he was non-threatening.

But Yue Xin could tell that the quiet sense of confidence was something honed over years of experience battling with the fearsome seas and even more fearsome opponents— she had seen it in some Masters of Qi.

As Marco drew closer, Yue Xin re-evaluated him. Underestimating? Scratch that. This pineapple-head of a pirate wasn't underestimating her by the way his sharp gaze observed her the same way she did.

"Hello." His deep voice broke the tense silence between them. "I'm Marco. May I know your name, Flower-chan?"

This small kid was no ordinary kid, Marco thought. He had kept most of his...pirate-ness contained within him so as to not scare the kid, but even doing so would usually scare any kids within eyesight to run away crying for their daddies and mummies. Flower-chan just leveled her gaze at this obviously dangerous stranger (him) and watched him walk closer without a flinch.

Her head tilted to the side as she looked like she was contemplating something.

It only took a second of waiting for her to reply, "I'm Yue Xin."

Based on the small smile gracing the pirate's lips as he introduced himself, and his polite words for a pirate, Yue Xin understood that he was trying to look and sound friendly. The "Flower-chan" nickname was a nice try too. However, the pirate did not bend or squat down to her level to speak with her, like normal adults do when speaking with a child, so he wasn't exactly letting his guard down either. Yue Xin saw it as a way Marco the pirate was trying to establish dominance and control in this situation.

Of course, she was going to let him take the reins. Not like she could establish any control or dominance over Marco either. She offered back a smile too, no less a calculated move on her part, though it took almost all her energy to squeeze out one. Smiles were a great way to start any conversation on a good note.

Marco almost chuckled at the shaky smile Yue Xin gave him. The child was scared all right.

Yue Xin's heart was going in overdrive. Marco didn't seem like he was going to kill her— yet. The amused look in his eyes would maybe prolong her life a little longer.

"So, Yue Xin, what are you doing here?" Marco continued questioning, albeit with a softer tone.

"Camping." Yue Xin forced herself to answer under his intimidating gaze.

"Alone?"

"Of course not. My parents are here, but I sneaked out of our tent to watch the stars, and ended up here." Yue Xin could feel the tension in the air as she mentioned her parents. Marco's stance shifted just very slightly into a more alert state— if Yue Xin hadn't been watching out for it she wouldn't have noticed.

Yue Xin reassured him, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what happens tonight."

Smart people didn't waste time getting into the important bits. She made sure to look straight into Marco's eyes as she said that. The pirates docked here for the obvious reason of wanting to be incognito.

A flash of surprise crossed Marco's face, then a bigger smile appeared. "Pinky promise?"

Yue Xin held out her pinky and curled it over Marco's. "Pinky promise."

Then she added after a short pause, "Not like my parents would believe me anyways. Or even if they believed it, they would probably ground me and lecture me on the dangers of the world. I don't want that. So you can be sure I won't spill."

Marco felt like he was talking to someone thrice the age this kid was at. The feeling threw him sideways, but he realised that he kind of liked this kid no older than 10.

"Well, since I know you won't spill, would you like to come up to our ship? Our Captain is very curious about you. Don't be scared, he's a friendly old man who likes children."

Yue Xin just gave him the look that literally screamed 'If I go up I probably won't come down alive do you think I'm that stupid'.

Marco grinned, "Not like you have a choice anyways."

Yue Xin giggled, "I knew that. I'll accept your invitation though."

Marco was once again shocked by the mental capacity of this child in pink pajamas.

"May I?" Marco finally bent down, opening his arms.

Yue Xin climbed in, and was held tightly against a warmer than average chest. It was because of Marco's Devil Fruit, but Yue Xin didn't know that.

Marco sped back to the ship, jumping nimbly with a boost of phoenix flame onto the deck where Whitebeard sat, waiting.

* * *

The first thing Yue Xin noticed was not Whitebeard's height, nor was it the multiple IV drips or the extremely large sake cup he was holding.

It was the sensation that she was standing in front of someone incredibly powerful, someone that had stood at the top for years and fended off any hungry wolves aiming for his position.

A true leader.

Yue Xin's senses had never been clearer as she looked into Whitebeard's yellow eyes. "What an honour to meet you, Sir." She meant it from the depths of her heart, as she gave a low bow.

" _Gurarara_! You are very interesting indeed! I expected you to be a quivering, crying mess when you landed on the deck." Whitebeard grinned, placing his sake cup down onto the floor with a rather loud bang.

The sound made Yue Xin jump, and although she didn't want to admit— she was actually close to the verge of tears. Her poker-face game was just abnormally strong.

Whitebeard leaned forward to take a closer look at the peculiar child. "What is your name, little one?"

"Yue Xin."

"Yue Xin was it? Here, come closer." Whitebeard beckoned with a large hand, "How old are you?"

Yue Xin made her way forward with the legs of a newborn fawn, stopping short at Whitebeard's black boots. "I'm 7 this year."

"7?! What!?" Marco exclaimed at the side. He knew she was little, but not _that_ little.

"Ah, youth. The makers of the next era," Whitebeard mumbled. "How did you find my ship?"

"I followed my instincts. It said that something interesting was going to happen tonight, so I sneaked out to find the thing that was keeping me awake." Yue Xin this time told the truth.

"Did it disappoint you?" Whitebeard stared down at Yue Xin.

For the first time, Yue Xin couldn't read him like how she read others. Was it because of the lack of experience in life? Or maybe because this is the first pirate Captain she had ever met? Yue Xin mentally noted down this new discovery.

"No. I believe this is a life-changing experience." Yue Xin looked up in a mix of curiosity and awe. This old man was interesting. Very, _very_ interesting. She wanted to know more about him— why he became a pirate, his adventures, his crew— everything. "May I know who you are, Sir?"

Whitebeard stared into the twinkling eyes of the child standing at his feet, chuckling.

"What will you do with this knowledge? Are you sure you want to know?" Whitebeard seemed to be in a good mood, a toothy smile stretching across his face.

"I want to know, because I know you are..." Yue Xin searched for a word, "...extraordinary. What I will do with this knowledge, I don't know. But what I am sure of, is that I want to learn who you are, Sir."

The Whitebeard Pirates were stirred from their sleep as the ship shook with Whitebeard's booming laughter. Several crew members stumbled out of their cabins to find their father figure and Captain conversing with a child in pink pajamas.

" _GURARARARARA_! Extraordinary! Marco! Hear that? Extraordinary! _Gurararara_!" Whitebeard pounded the arm of his chair in amusement.

Yue Xin cringed at the shaking floorboards and winds threatening to blow her away. Great. Now there were also crew members staring at her.

She didn't feel so comfortable to be under so many eyes at once. And it seemed that more were coming.

"If you want to know so badly, little one, I'll tell you!" Whitebeard rose from his seat, standing up in his full glory. "I am Whitebeard!"

 _Whitebeard_. Yue Xin mused over his name. Her mother told her about pirates, their affiliations with the World Government and such years ago, so her memory of it was rather fuzzy. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't remember anything about it.

"Whitebeard." Yue Xin repeated the name. She looked up to the huge man whose shadow entirely enveloped hers. "I am very sorry to say that I do not know you, since I don't know much about pirates. You must be very famous."

"Famous?" One crew member hollered from the back, "HAHAHA! Oyaji is the strongest man in the world! He's a Yonko!"

Yue Xin's eyes almost popped out of her head. _Yonko_?!

She remembered now. The Yonko— the strongest pirates of the seas that ruled the New World. Their influence were something that even the World Government has to be careful of. Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, and Shanks.

After the inital surprise, all the fear lingering in her heart was immediately swallowed by the rush of pure glee, lighting up her whole face. She was practically glowing with the light of a thousand stars now.

She had struck a gold mine! A treasure trove! The absolutely most interesting thing in the world! Yue Xin was giddy from all the happiness. She felt like she could fly right now.

The Whitebeard Pirates were dumbfounded at this little child who smiled from ear to ear at this news. What happened to all the screaming and running away when people heard the name of Whitebeard, the Yonko? Was Oyaji losing his touch around the New World?

Whitebeard guffawed at this display of happiness gushing out of the small child. He always had a soft spot for the youth as he grew older. His time was going to be up sooner or later, and the next generation would take over for him. They were the light of a new era. He liked to meet potential stars that might one day rise to the top and create a new world.

This child seemed like she could be one.

A thought emerged in his mind but he brushed it off immediately. This child was still too young to be living on a pirate ship.

"You are very amazing, Sir!" Yue Xin stepped closer to the Captain. "Will you let me know why you decided to become a pirate?"

Whitebeard's grin did not disappear as he sat back down into his chair, guzzling down the remaining sake straight from the bottle. "Asking personal questions now huh, kid? _Gurarara!_ Because I'm in a good mood, I'll answer you this." The Emperor of the Sea gestured to his crew. "It's because I wanted a family. These are my sons and daughters. We may not be of biological blood, but the familial bonds between us can never be broken."

Understanding dawned upon Yue Xin. Whitebeard was different from the pirates she heard about from her mother. Whitebeard didn't chase after gold nor glory, he just wanted to build a family. Now she  
was sure that she would return alive back to her camp.

"Little kid, do you have parents?"

"I do. They are around 30 minutes away from here. We came here to camp. I have been out here for quite some time, so I cannot say that I know whether they will be out looking for me."

It was time to go. Yue Xin wanted to spend more time with this incredible man, but circumstances wouldn't allow it.

Marco felt a little sad to see someone as unusual as this kid leaving the ship. If Whitebeard had any reluctance of parting with the child, he didn't show it.

Yue Xin's eyes ran over the faces of each crew member on the deck, trying to memorise every single detail of this ship and its wonderful members. Then a lightbulb popped over her head.

"Sir, do you have any crabs on your ship?"

Whitebeard raised an eyebrow, "Crabs?"

"For an alibi."

* * *

Mr and Mrs Yue found their daughter training 10 minutes away from their camp, a stack of dead crabs piled up at her feet. Her pink pajama robe was a little wet and muddied, and her rolled up sleeves exposed the red marks where claws of the crabs pinched her. With Qi, their daughter shot a hand into the depths of the wet sand, pulling out an unmoving crab.

"Xin Er! Oh for goodness' sake! Why are you here? Do you know how long we searched for you?" Mrs Yue's worried voice called out as they practically flew to her side.

In their panic and relief of finding their daughter safe and unharmed, they did not notice the fact that the crab pulled out from the sand was already lifeless to begin with.

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to do some training with Qi. I searched around for any areas that might have crabs. We can eat them for breakfast later!" Yue Xin proudly showed off her stack of dead crabs to her parents like she really did all the work herself.

"Well done, Yue Xin. But you must tell us whenever you want to go somewhere else, alright? Or else we will be worried out of our minds. Don't ever do this again, okay?" Mr Yue chided his daughter lightly.

Yue Xin turned on her puppy eyes, shifting a guilty (but actually not guilty) foot. "B-but you and mother were sleeping...so I didn't want to disturb you two."

Mr and Mrs Yue couldn't find it in themselves to reprimand their child anymore, and they happily decided to go back to camp for a short nap before the first light of dawn lit the dark skies.

As they made their way back, Yue Xin couldn't help but turn back to look in the direction where Moby Dick was anchored, hidden from view.

 _I hope we meet again, Whitebeard._

* * *

Marco sighed as he watched the child leave with a pile of dead crabs in her arms.

"I am expecting much from her." Whitebeard's gaze was following after Yue Xin's small figure running across the sand as well. "I wonder what she will become when she grows up."

"Oyaji! You have to take better care of your body in order to see that happen!" Thatch bumbled up to Whitebeard, snatching away the second bottle of sake Whitebeard had procured from under his seat. "You can drink after 3 more days!"

"Thatch! Give me back my sake. Now."

"Oyaji! Don't be so stubborn!"

Marco watched on with a motherly smile as his brother argued about alchohol abstinence with his father.

* * *

 **Wow! What a long chapter. And now its time for Yue Xin to start growing up!**


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm joining the Tournament."

Mr Yue spluttered, the contents of his soup bowl spliing down his shirt. "Wa— wait, what?"

Yue Xin's eyes widened into the most surprised expression that her parents had ever seen.

"I said, I am joining the Tournament." Mrs Yue placed her chopsticks down and gave her family a serious glare.

Mr Yue gaped.

Yue Xin pinched herself, confirming that it was reality. "Mother, why so sudden?"

"Because I'm kind of bored." Mrs Yue folded her arms with a huff.

Yue Xin suddenly laughed out loud, startling her parents. She laughed till her abdomen was cramping up and tears were falling down her face. Finally she knew why she was born so weird— because her mother was so very similar to her.

Mr and Mrs Yue just stared at their child who seemed like she had lost her marbles. Their 7 year old daughter was usually a composed child. Seeing her laugh like this was a rather great change of scenery.

"B-but you haven't been training and keeping up your skills for these 7 years after you had Yue Xin! You're going to get hurt!" Mr Yue tried persuading his wife.

Mrs Yue leaned back in her chair, confidence exuding out of her. "Just because I didn't keep my skills sharp for these 7 years doesn't mean that I still can't beat those clowns."

If she wasn't brought up as a well-mannered woman, Yue Xin could imagine her picking at her ear with a nonchalant look on her face right now.

"I— but— " Mr Yue grasped for anything, something to stop his wife from entering the Tournament.

"Don't worry, I'll only be the _Wu Zun_ for 7 years. It'll be over in a flash." Mrs Yue shot her husband a blinding smile.

"The strongest Sects are going to send their most talented, most powerful, _young_ disciples out! You— you've been lying low all these years...why...why now..." Mr Yue drifted off, as if he was remembering something.

"Tch." The condescending look on her mother's face said everything. "So what if I blow my cover? The _Tang Men Sect_ won't dare to do anything to me when I become the _Wu Zun_. And were you saying something about _young?"_ Mrs Yue's razor sharp glare dug into her husband.

"No, no, you look as beautiful as ever! You haven't changed since I met you! _Young_ and beautiful! Oh, how did I marry such a beautiful woman like you?" Mr Yue patted Mrs Yue on the back sheepishly, trying to save himself from being shredded into little pieces by his wife.

Mrs Yue was only 27, but in the Empire's standards, she was considered to be the same as what you would think of an middle-aged woman in the modern world.

Yue Xin turned this juicy piece of information over in her head. So, apparently her mother was someone incredible when she was younger, but somehow ended up here with her father.

 _I wonder what happened?_

The Empire of Churia was very martial-arts focused, so much that there were special academies and Sects littered around every corner of the country. These institutions— more of private organizations— took in students every year, and taught them the styles that each institution advocated for. There were hundreds and thousands of different styles of Martial Arts within the Empire of Churia.

Academies were like schools, they nurtured students who pursued after their favourite Martial Arts style that were known to the general public. Children started training at the age of 3 under their parents' supervision or through a private tutor, and could officially enroll in an academy at 7. Recently, more academies targeted at children younger than 7 were opening as well. Students who enrolled in academies would train until they had been deemed a proficient enough by a Master. The time they stayed in academies would be indefinite as it depended on the talent and hard work of the student. If they were rare talented individuals, they could graduate in just a few months time.

Sects were another different type of story. They were more like joining a gang instead of attending a school. If you joined one, it would be lifelong commitment. No one is allowed to leave the Sect, or betray the Sect— or else you would find youself suffocating with dirt in your mouth six feet under. Of course, with such harsh rules bound to the Sects, special privileges were also a given. Joining a renowned Sect could allow you to have a smooth sailing journey right to the top of the Martial Arts world. They poured in all their resources into nurturing the cream of the crop— so most _Wu Zun_ came from the Sects. And because of that, the standard to enter a Sect was much, much higher than a public academy. Anyone that wanted to join had to go through a series of different tests to determine their natural-born talent. Only the ones with the most potential were picked. Each Sect had their own unique set of Martial Arts that was only known to the disciples of the Sect. Of course, you would find youself in the dirt again if you ever shared the secret set of Arts to anyone not affiliated to the Sect.

Yue Xin's eyes narrowed. She could deduce that her mother used to be a disciple of a Sect. But Mother definitely wasn't in a Sect right now. Then why is her mother alive now? And she was 7 now, but her parents had never mentioned anything about sending her to an academy or joining a Sect.

Yue Xin looked up to find her father and mother bickering over some old memory of the past being brought up, and decided to ask them for more details later.

They had 5 months left to the Tournament after all.

* * *

Mr Yue steadied the steaming coffee in his hand as he watched his wife carry a boulder at least a hundred times larger and heavier than him up the mountain trek.

He could only give a heavy sigh as Mrs Yue gained speed, running up the mountain with a ridiculously huge boulder on her back without any sign of shortness of breath.

Yue Xin carried a smaller boulder of her own, tagging behind her mother at her own pace.

Mr Yue just carried the backpack that was filled with camping equipment and other necessities for the three members of the family.

After so many years, Mr Yue had kind of forgotten just how much of a monster Mrs Yue was when he first met her. But now, he was reliving the past as he watched his monstrous wife reach the top of the mountain, then split the boulder in two with just a casual thrust of her finger.

Another deep sigh exited his tired body. It was back to the dangerous lifestyle they had in the past. His wife seemed to have a penchant for dangerous things and couldn't keep her hands out of it.

If Mr Yue knew just how much their daughter was similar to his beloved wife, he might have have a heart attack and die right there and then.

* * *

5 months of intensive training brought Mrs Yue back to about 70% of her peak.

The Tournament had a grand beginning, as the participants eyeballed each other and the audience betted on who would be the _Wu Zun_ this time _._

Other betted on the famous core disciples of famous Sects, while only Yue Xin and Mr Yue betted on their mother (wife).

The Tournament was only 7 days long, where the finalists would battle for the title of the _Wu Zun_ on the last day. Battles were always one-on-one, so to speed up the elimination process, one hundred stages were erected across the stadium, and a hundred one-on-one battles would take place at the same time. Participants usually had to go through 5 battles a day, or more, depending on the number of people that joined the Tournament. In the first 6 days, audience members were allowed to roam to different stages to check out the battles. A list of all the battles planned for one day was distributed to each audience member. On the last day, the hundred stages will be dismantled, leaving the center stage for the final battle between the finalists.

Yue Xin watched each battle between the participants with a glint in her eyes. Calculating their moves, predicting, learning and familiarizing herself with the new and different moves they showcased.

 _ **Interesting**_ _._

A creepily large smile was overtaking her face. Mr Yue had to remind his daughter to not glare at the participants like she was about to eat them up, no matter how excited she was. Her greedy aura was already affecting the other audiences nearest to them, clearly very disturbed by the look in this seemingly innocent child's eyes.

Yue Xin learned more in this one day of watching compared to months of training. At the same time, she was starting to realise that her own achievement in using Qi was at an above average level. Her mother definitely did not hold back while training her.

Mrs Yue being an independent participant without any affiliation to any Academy or Sect took the world by storm as she advanced into the Finals.

Rumours and bits and pieces of her mother's past was made known to Yue Xin as people gossiped, but no one really knew what had truly happened all those years ago. Rumours were that she was the star of the top Sect of the Empire of Churia— and thus, the star of the Martial Arts world— and then she betrayed her Sect for unknown reasons. She was known as G.O.D, the " Goddess of Death" when she was still active.

But Mrs Yue had to battle off several attempts at taking her life during the Tournament. Disciples of the _Tang Men Sect_ targeted her. She was still on the death list after all. Battling to death in the Tournament was not prohibited, unless the opponent concedes first, then further attacking or killing the opponent would be a breach of rules.

Yue Xin cringed when she heard her mother being referred to as a legendary being. She still couldn't get used to the fact that her mother had such a colourful past. Not that she disliked it. In fact, she was rather proud.

People's tongues wagged as they made up stories on why her mother betrayed her Sect— with some saying that the Sect killed her lover, or her Sect poisoned someone close to her, or that her mother had killed someone in the Sect that led to her being expelled, instead of betraying the Sect as they all assumed. Then they had even more fun in spinning stories in how the legendary G.O.D escaped the pursuit of the Sect, lying low only to blow her cover after all these years.

Yue Xin gave high praise for her father's perfect poker face as people gossiped around them.

"They're starting soon, Xin Er." Mr Yue's steady voice dragged Yue Xin's attention back into the ring.

Grand Masters had reinforced the force fields with their power around the ring. The force field was a huge, invisible sphere that allowed participants in the inside to do whatever they liked without affecting the outside. They were set up to prevent the watching audiences and the stadium from sustaining any injuries or damages when battles were taking place since battles between powerful Masters always brought indiscriminate destruction to their surroundings.

Admist the deafening cheering, Mrs Yue and her opponent stepped into the ring, the force field sealing shut behind them with a wave of the Grand Masters' hands.

"Oh my god! Look at Liu Fei! He's so hot!" A lady behind the father-daughter pair swooned, her eyes fixated on the blue-headed young man standing opposite of Mrs Yue.

"The rising star of _Tang Men Sect!_ Rumours said that his beauty was as incredible as his skills! I see those rumours were true!"

"I heard that he is going to be the _Wu Zun_ this year without a fail! No one among his age can beat him, and the _Wu Zun_ had already decided to give away his seat without the Final Showdown when he heard Liu Fei was gunning for it!"

"Gah, the current _Wu Zun_ and Liu Fei are from the same Sect, no wonder he doesn't want to fight him! That's so unfair and biased! It's tradition for the winner of the Tournament to fight the _Wu Zun!"_

"What can you do man? _Tang Men Sect_ is the number one Sect in the whole world! They can literally bend the rules of the Tournament and no one will be able to say anything."

"Shut up! The battle is starting!"

The audience finally quietened down when the gong rang three times, signalling the start of the match.

Within the force field, Mrs Yue and Liu Fei greeted each other, bowing with their right fist meeting their left palm.

"Hello, Liu Fei." Mrs Yue grinned at the young man.

Liu Fei glared at Mrs Yue. "Li Jing Ming! Betrayer of the _Tang Men!_ Why are you here?"

"Little Fei Fei, we haven't seen each other in a long time and you're calling me by my full name? I'm older than you, y'know? You need to have respect towards your elders. You can address me as Mrs Yue—" She held up her ring finger, where a simple engraved jade band sat, "— since I'm married now."

Surprise flashed across Liu Fei's face when he noticed the wedding ring.

He had treated Mrs Yue as his idol in the past when she was still in the Sect, and Mrs Yue had taken care of him like he was her own little brother. Upon her betrayal, Liu Fei went through a tough time trying to pick himself off the ground and accept reality. He dove headlong into training, and trained like a maniac until this day— when he was going to become the strongest Master.

But now, he was facing against his ex-senior, and it seemed that her title as the Goddess of Death had not lost its shine.

"Fei Fei, will you listen to me one more time?" Mrs Yue's soft tone invoked memories within Liu Fei as he stared at the woman who had become older than he expected in these 7 years.

Mrs Yue continued, "Please. Just concede the match to me right now."

Liu Fei's blood boiled when he heard Mrs Yue. The blue-haired young man unsheathed his sword, sending a slash towards Mrs Yue. "Are you _mocking_ me? Do you think that I can't beat you?"

Mrs Yue dodged the slash with ease, her pleading gaze not wavering. "No, but becoming the _Wu Zun_ is something that you must never do."

"Don't lie to me! You're just trying to snatch the position of the _Wu Zun_ away from me! You betrayed our Sect! You betrayed my trust in you! Why should I listen to what you're saying?" Another slash from his sword sent shock waves hitting against the force field with an earth-shattering force.

Guilt filled Mrs Yue's heart as she saw the pain and anger of her betrayal on Liu Fei's face. "Fei Fei, I really think of you as my little brother. I'm sorry that I hurt you. But promise me this," Mrs Yue's tone turned dark, " _do not_ become the _Wu Zun_. I don't want to fight you, but I will if it is what it takes to stop you."

Liu Fei paused momentarily, but the years of pent-up rage and sorrow overcame his senses. "If you really think of me as your little brother, then you shouldn't have betrayed us 7 years ago!"

Liu Fei unleashed a flurry of attacks upon Mrs Yue who sidestepped them gracefully. "Fei Fei, think about this. People say the _Wu Zun_ is the strongest, but do you really think so? There are Grand Masters that are leagues above the _Wu Zun,_ yet you rarely see any of them joining the Tournament, even if they are eligible according to the age limit of 50. And the number of Grand Masters at one time have never exceeded 12. Why do the _Wu Zun_ disappear after they are crowned each time? And every Final Showdown when they appear, why do they always wear a mask over their face?"

"Shut up! I won't listen to your lies!" Liu Fei charged forward, his blade glinting menacingly in the sunlight.

Mrs Yue sighed, lifting a hand.

The crowd roared when Mrs Yue pinched the tip of Liu Fei's blade between her thumb and forefinger, stopping the rush of his attack.

Liu Fei's eyes widened in shock. He had put his 100% into that thrust, and Mrs Yue had just stopped the attack like she was just grabbing air. _Just how strong is she?_

"Strong enough to get you eliminated without you getting hurt." Mrs Yue smiled as she answered his thought. She understood Liu Fei thoroughly— he was her little brother after all.

In the next split second, Liu Fei found himself on the ground, his blade in Mrs Yue's hands, the sharp edge lightly pressing against the skin of his neck.

"The...the..." The announcer stuttered into his microphone.

The stadium was silent with shock and confusion. No one had seen what had happened in that split second.

Grand Masters in their seats narrowed their eyes at Mrs Yue, their expressions contemplative.

"The winner...is Li Jing Ming!" The announcer returned back to his senses, yelling into the microphone.

The crowd then reacted, exploding into loud cheers (and boos).

Yue Xin jumped out of her seat, screaming in joy. Her mother had won! Barehanded!

It took a few moments for Yue Xin to realize that something was wrong.

Father wasn't cheering.

Mr Yue sat there with a dark look on his face, a wholly different aura emanating out of him. He felt like a different person to Yue Xin. She had never seen her father so serious— and so _dangerous._

"Father? Who is that young man?" Yue Xin immediately thought of Liu Fei. He had to be the abnormality that was causing Father's behaviour to change. He had been talking with Mother during the match as well, although they couldn't hear what was being said.

Father seemed to snap back at Yue Xin's voice. A small smile replaced the dark look on his face as he turned towards his daughter. "Oh, that young man? Your mother was very close to him when she was still a disciple of _Tang Men_. They were like brother and sister, now that I remember."

 _So he's not mother's ex or anything. What is Father so angry about then?_ Yue Xin mused as she recalled the expression on Father's face. She had not gotten any information about Mother and Father's past the last few times she asked— the both of them just gave her very vague answers.

 _Tang Men. Strongest disciple. Liu Fei and Mother. Little brother and big sister. Wu Zun._

Yue Xin couldn't help but sift through all the information again, her favourite game of analyzing and deducing from all the observations made. _Liu Fei is the rising star— everyone's predicted winner of the Tournament. Little brother and big sister. Mother is fighting with her little brother for the position of Wu Zun. If mother cared for Liu Fei, she would want him to become the strongest Wu Zun. Does she not care for Liu Fei? No, she didn't attack back and only talked to him while he was attacking. Even while taking down him Mother did not hurt him, so she cares for him. Then why not just let him win? He was going to become the Wu Zun anyways if Mother didn't join. Was Mother really bored? So much that she would fight for the position against her little brother? There is only one spot and Mother is taking it away—_

Yue Xin's revelation made her frown.

Her mother had lied. She joined to stop Liu Fei from winning. From becoming the _Wu Zun._ Not because she was bored.

 _Stopping someone you care from doing something usually meant that the something was bad. So becoming the Wu Zun was something bad._

Yue Xin's feelings of joy dissipated immediately. Her mother had thrown herself into this bad situation because of Liu Fei. No wonder Father was angry. Because Mother had lied.

Mr Yue had taken a longer time rather than Yue Xin's 5 seconds to piece the information together. The moment Liu Fei appeared in the ring, his instincts told him to rethink Mrs Yue's impulse on joining the Tournament.

 _Father must be thinking: Is that Liu Fei so much more important than us? Than your husband? Your child?_

Yue Xin repeated that thought out loud, earning a very astounded look from her father.

"Yue Xin. How do you know?"

"I don't know. I just know," Yue Xin replied honestly. To her, observing and deducing like that was just common sense. "But to Mother, Liu Fei must be very important. Mother must be feeling guilty ever since she betrayed the Sect, so she tries to make it up to him this way."

Mr Yue reeled from her words, wondering whether his daughter was a reincarnation of Zhuge Liang*. If he had calmed down further to think, he would have reached the same conclusion as Yue Xin. But that doesn't mean that he agreed with it. So what if she felt guilty? She was placing herself in danger, without a care for how her own, blood related family felt.

Mr Yue also had another thought wriggling in his mind. It was the truth behind Mrs Yue's betrayal of her Sect that made him overturn the inital notion that _Wu Zun_ was something good. He was not clear on the whole truth of her betrayal, since Mrs Yue had never spoken about it and he had never pressed her about it either. He couldn't shake the feeling that everything Mrs Yue was doing now was also connected to her betrayal.

* * *

 ***Wikipedia says: Zhuge Liang (181–234), courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese politician, military strategist, writer, engineer and inventor. He is recognised as the most accomplished strategist of his era, and has been compared to Sun Tzu, the author of The Art of War. (Basically he is so smart the size of the brain you have is like 1/1000 the size of his.)**

 **Btw Liu Fei's (** **刘飞** **) name is reminiscent to Liu Bei, from Romance of the Three Kingdoms (same era as Zhuge Liang).**

 **Mrs Yue's name: Li Jing Ming (** **李静茗** **), first character Li (** **李** **) is her surname, second character Jing (** **静** **) means quiet/still, Ming (** **茗** **) means tender/young tea leaves, and the art of tea drinking is connected to peace/quiet/grace, which is quite the opposite of Mrs Yue's character. She grew up to be the opposite of whatever her parents wanted.**

 **And you might be thinking: WOW its been 3 chapters! WHERE are the straw hats? And why is there so much backstory on the parents? The OC is becoming a supporting character!**

 **There's only one answer: Sorry I don't know when SH will be appearing (Because i am a writer with absolutely no plan) And backstory is very important okay!**

 **Then you might think: WOW if you don't plan why do you have backstory?**

 **Well because, I do my stories this way. I come up with an idea, like wanting to create a model of Ancient China in OP world. Then I set my character, mostly based on how I'm feeling. If I'm sad and mopey, the character will be serious and dark and less carefree. If I'm happy, then my character is all bubbly and shit. After that, I think of what and who and how I want my OC to interact with, and most of the time i can only manage to think of 2 characters, then I just start writing. I write one sentence and then my brain will just fill in the rest of the plot by itself. It just works like that don't ask me how. Sometimes it takes days for my brain to think of something creative and fitting, and sometimes it just goes off into the side characters like Mr and Mrs Yue. Then I just try my best to link everything together.**

 **So right now, I have absolutely no idea how to continue the next chapter. You might need to wait a few weeks HAHAHAAH**


	4. Chapter 4

**I had someone asking me how to pronounce Yue Xin's "Xin"**  
 **I answered the reader, but in case there are still some of you floating out there: Xin = how you pronounce Sin in english. There's some specific intonation but it requires a long lesson on speaking Mandarin Chinese so let's just stop here.**

 **Also, how to pronounce "Qi"?**  
 **"Chee". Sounds like Dr Strange's Chi doesn't it? To be more exact, (if you can pronounce it) it would be "tsi".**

* * *

"The 20 minutes intermission will begin now. Please return to your seats 5 minutes before the Final Showdown begins." The announcer's voice boomed through the speakers around the Tournament Stadium.

Yue Xin and Mr Yue rushed towards the backstage, flashing the standing guards the small, rectangular engraved wooden plates that was proof of their entry.

Mrs Yue was whirled around when she heard the two come rushing in, breaking out into an apologetic smile. "Xin Er, Xiao Jing*."

"You— " Mr Yue started, but stopped, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

Yue Xin jumped into her mother's open arms, snuggling into her warm chest. "Mother, what are you going to do now? What does becoming the _Wu Zun_ really entail?"

Shadows crossed Mrs Yue's face as she said, "Of course! It means that I will be the strongest Mother anyone has ever seen!", in a very fake chipper tone.

As she spoke, she pointed at her eyes and ears, then pointed at the walls.

Mr Yue's hands curled into fists. Yue Xin took a moment longer to realise what her mother was trying to sign. It was her first time in this types of situation.

 _Eyes and ears are everywhere. Do not speak of what you know._

Mrs Yue then waved a hand in a circular motion, an almost invisible shimmer rippling around the three, forming a force field. This force field was different from the one used in the Tournament. It's main purpose was to prevent any eavesdropping spies from listening on in the conversation happening within the force field. However, if the one trying to eavesdrop has a higher Standard than the one who set up the force field, the force field's effect would be nulled.

Yue Xin was unaware of how high her parents' Standards were, but she was at least sure her Mother's was one of the highest.

Every Martial Arts Style was bound to Qi, the energy that they utilised in order to execute different techniques from one of the hundreds of unique Martial Arts Style available. In order to learn more difficult Styles or techniques, the more Qi they will need. The level of Qi was categorised into 5 Standards, which also denoted the amount of Qi they have in your body. The 5 Standards are futher divided into 2 Sub-Standards; the Primary and Tertiary. The exception is only the first 2 Standards, which were divided into 9 Sub-Standards. Each Standard also has its corresponding title for the martial artist; for example, if one has trained to the Crescive Standard, they were called Grand Masters. _(_ _ **A/N: More about Standards in end notes)**_

" _Xin Yan**_ ," Mr Yue gritted out of his teeth, "Tell me. What happens if you win."

Mrs Yue struggled to find the words to explain the whole thing, "I...I can get out of this. Xiao Jing. Trust me." Mrs Yue grabbed her husband's arm with one free hand in an attempt to comfort. "I just need to lose the Final Showdown."

The Final Showdown was the battle between the current _Wu Zun_ and the winner of the Tournament, to see whether the new rookie had surpassed their elder, and was worthy enough to bear the title of the strongest Martial Artist. Forfeiting the match was forbidden. To win the Showdown, one has to score 5 points, each hit on the opponent counting towards one point. Getting critical parts of the body— such as the neck, head and chest— hit by the opponent will count as two points. In this case, killing the opponent was forbidden, unlike the Tournament matches.

"They always said they go off somewhere to train with the Grand Masters, and they work with the top of the World Government. A few of them even came back to visit, didn't they?" Yue Xin raised her doubts. "I don't understand. Mother, this is rather unbelievable. Becoming the _Wu Zun_ is something that everyone aspires to. It's the life goal of many people. It's the foundation— the motivation for our country to continue to progress forward— why would it be bad?"

"I...you don't _understand_ — " Mrs Yue's voice was tinged with panic and fear, and Yue Xin could feel the hand embracing her tremble a little, "— the day you become the _Wu Zun_ is the day you die. You can never escape. The Wor— the enemy is too powerful for anyone to defeat."

Yue Xin gasped when she felt a murderous aura suddenly explode from her father.

Her father had grabbed Mrs Yue's free hand on his arm, his eyes burning bright with anger. " _You threw yourself in this kind of danger for that blue-haired brat? What about you? What about Xin Er? What about me? Did you think for yourself or us at all?"_

Yue Xin felt stifled under the fear, anger and killing intent (towards Liu Fei) her usually quiet father was projecting. Was her father another skilled Master in disguise? She suddenly realised her father had never shown his skills with Qi in front of her before, except for minor things like daily activities.

"It's okay, it's okay, I can do it, Xiao Jing, I can lose— no— I _will_ lose!" Her mother's haunted eyes held a spark of determination within. "I'm your wife. Trust me."

"What if you win, Mother?" Yue Xin's face was blank, but her voice cracked a little in fear. "Can you— can we run away?"

"Let's go. Now. Let's run now." Father pointed at the door. "I'll kill anyone who tries to stop us."

"Stop! Xiao Jing, Xin Er, I can do this. We cannot run. I told you already, the enemy is too powerful. There is no place in the world they cannot reach. The only way of escape is me losing to the _Wu Zun_."

Yue Xin had a strong feeling that it wasn't going to go the way any of them wanted. She always trusted her instincts, but she rather believed that it was the fear in her heart that was misdirecting her instincts.

"Mother," Yue Xin called out, the following words lodged in her throat. The words formed a lump and she could feel tears gathering in her eyes.

Saying it felt like goodbye. Saying it felt like it would happen— but she couldn't let this last chance go.

"...Mother, I love you. All the best for the Showdown."

Mr and Mrs Yue watched their child sniffle back a tear, for the first— and probably last time— telling them "I love you". Their family was close, but they hadn't been explicit in professing their familial love for each ofher.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I had to do this. I'll lose, Yue Xin. I promise. I'll come back." Mrs Yue fought back tears of her own, wrapping her arms around her husband and daughter. "I love you too."

Mr Yue couldn't even speak, but his eyes were overflowing with unprofessed love for his family.

"If...If I win, Xiao Jing, promise me, don't do anything rash okay? Take care of Yue— "

"No. Stop it. I won't listen. I know you'll come back." Mr Yue interrupted his wife, hugging her back more tightly. "I trust you. All the best for the Showdown."

A voice then crackled through the speakers. "All audience members, please return to your seats, the _Wu Zun_ has arrived. The Showdown will begin in 5 minutes."

The door to Mrs Yue's waiting room was flung open and the two guards that had been standing outside bowed, gesturing to Mr Yue and Yue Xin the way out.

Yue Xin immediately missed the warmth of her mother's embrace as she was put down onto the ground and given a small kiss on the forehead.

"See you later, Yue Xin."

* * *

Mrs Yue tried to ignore the despair threatening to suffocate her. She didn't regret this at all. Liu Fei was her little brother and after betraying him like that, it was the least she could do to protect him.

But she was sorry towards her family.

"Li Jing Ming. You're amazing. I heard of your betrayal of your Sect when you were 20. If you had trained longer, you might have reached my Standard." The masked _Wu Zun_ spoke to her as he dodged Mrs Yue's halfhearted attempt at hitting his vital spot. "But you aren't even trying, are you?"

Mrs Yue and the _Wu Zun_ danced around on the ring, the Final Showdown having begun for some time now.

"You...you...who are you? You're not Shen Ming. You're not...you're not my senior from _Tang Men Sect,"_ Mrs Yue panted. The fight was getting long and she wasn't at her peak performance. The 5 months of training had its limits.

The _Wu Zun_ stiffened at the mention of Shen Ming, but he returned back to normal a split second later, swiftly attacking Mrs Yue with a halfhearted attempt. Mrs Yue was leaving her vital spots right open, and even tried to change the angle of her body to let the _Wu Zun_ hit her vital spots, but the _Wu Zun_ evaded her vital spot and hit the air, pretending to miss her.

To the audiences, it seemed like they were having a flashy battle with the both of them skillfully evading all the attacks, but in reality within the force field, both were just trying to lose the Showdown. Whenever Mrs Yue attacked with an easily avoidable move, the _Wu Zun_ tried his best to let himself get hit by it, but Mrs Yue always pulled back on the last second, making it seem like to others that it was the _Wu Zun_ himself that avoided the hit. The _Wu Zun_ was doing the exact same thing to Mrs Yue.

"You will never lose this Showdown. What do you know of becoming of the _Wu Zun,_ Li Jing Ming?" The _Wu Zun_ threw himself in front of Mrs Yue's attack, finally getting his vital spot hit. Mrs Yue cursed under her breath as the announcer excitedly screamed into the microphone about 2 more points added to her score.

She had a score of 4 now— only one chance left.

"I know everything."

"What about me being a Grand Duke Master then?" The _Wu Zun_ chuckled.

Mrs Yue's wide-eyed expression told her she clearly didn't know. "You trained to a higher standard? _The_ sixth Standard? You're not a Grand Master?"

"Grand Master? Hahaha! You are one aren't you? A Primary Grand Master. Now you know why you will win the Showdown— " the _Wu Zun_ seemed to phase right into her attack, letting Mrs Yue's hand hit his neck, "— _because your Qi is inferior to mine._ "

The roaring of the crowd at welcoming their newest female _Wu Zun_ was lost to her ears.

She had _won._

 _She had won._

Mr Yue stared at the man hiding behind a mask, her bodily functions frozen in time. Frozen at the time where she had won.

"No. No!"

"The _Wu Zun_ has to lose. It's the rule. I came here to lose." The masked man said, a slight bitterness behind his statement. "I'm sorry. I have no other choice."

Mrs Yue turned her fearful eyes to her husband and child, standing up at the front row seats.

" _No, no, no, no..."_ Mrs Yue repeated over and over like a broken record. "I can't win, I needed to lose."

Mr Yue and Yue Xin just watched the two figures in the ring, their own minds blank from the shock.

Everyone's cheering and whooping around them made the silent father-daughter pair all the more distinct in the crowd. The realization creeping into their eyes, the heart broken expressions that began to appear on their faces— Mrs Yue wanted to break down.

 _But not now. I am Li Jing Ming. The Goddess of Death. I can do this._

* * *

"They are on the run." The masked _Wu Zun_ was kneeling, his back bowed as he reported the latest news to the most powerful men in the world.

"Run?" The blond Elder sipped from his coffee.

"She asked for a few days to say goodbye to her family when she knew she was to depart immediately from the Stadium after she won. I gave her a single day. However, she knows that becoming _Wu Zun_ will kill her. It is unknown where she obtained that information."

"Then why did you grant her a single day?" Another Elder with a birthmark on his forehead spoke, displeasure written in the lines of his face.

"I..."

"Pity it is then. You've been acting as the _Wu Zun_ for how long now? Pity is still a thing?" The blond Elder interjected. "Atone for your mistake by eliminating them. Bring their heads back as proof. I'll give you 2 days. Go."

"Yes Sirs. I am very thankful for your forgiveness."

* * *

Yue Xin had an award-winning smile on her face.

They were being chased by a powerful enemy, and the danger was nipping them at their ankles— but Yue Xin felt excited. Alive even.

Running away was interesting. Escaping with such a looming threat over their heads was interesting. It was new and different. Life was interesting.

"Stop smiling and eat your biscuit already." Mrs Yue smacked Yue Xin on the back of her head, thrusting the warmed biscuit into her small hands. "We have to go deeper into the mountains tonight. The Grand Masters are getting close."

Mr Yue took a hard biscuit of his own as he said, "A few Qi Beasts were also trailing us last night. I took care of them."

Not only humans could train with Qi. Beasts that could train with Qi were called Qi Beasts. They were hunting material for martial artists as their meat and Core Crystal provide martial artists with a supply of Qi that they could absorb to increase their Standards. Of course, Qi Beasts weren't that easy to hunt either.

But now, after 3 nights of running, Yue Xin could now confirm that her parents were both Grand Masters. Her father was slightly lower in Standard, being a pseudo-Grand Master as compared to her mother's Primary Crescive Standard. The years of inactiveness had dulled him and slowed his breakthrough of the bottleneck of a Tertiary High Master to a real Primary Grand Master. He was stuck in between the half-way point from a High Master to a Grand Master, being stronger than a Tertiary High Master, yet weaker than a real Primary Grand Master.

"Here's the Core Crystals I got. Keep them safe. We can use them to replenish our Qi if we get into a fight," Mr Yue continued, splitting the Core Crystals he retrieved from within his own cloth pack into three equal piles. "I didn't take their meat. I didn't have a knife— "

"What? You could have asked me you know? Vermillion's been sitting for so long in my Pocket!" Mrs Yue interrupted him.

"Your sword isn't supposed to be used for carving out meat!"

"I use Vermillion for everything! Remember the refrigerator door that got stuck while we were moving houses? I cut that off with Vermillion!"

"You what? I thought you ripped the door off?"

"Tch. Vermillion was itching to come out so i just let her."

Yue Xin gnawed away at the fish as she enjoyed the bickering between her parents. If it wasn't for the annoying mosquitoes trying to suck some blood out of her, she might have believed that they were sitting right at the dining table at home.

Her mother had gotten out her Pocket, which was an inter-dimensional storage pouch where you could store items away into this special space. The dimensional space within the pocket was like a small, empty bedroom with 4 walls. Pockets were extremely rare— since the Master crafters that crafted Pockets a long time ago were dead and the art was lost. Her mother had once been the most promising disciple in the entire country, so it wouldn't be a surprise if her Master or the Sect had provided her with a Pocket.

Mrs Yue tapped the Pocket and Vermillion appeared in her hands, buzzing a little with delight in being able to breathe fresh air after being cooped up in the Pocket for so long. "Look at her! She's happy with being carving out meat!"

Vermillion stopped buzzing.

"Uh, no, I don't think she's happy about it." Mr Yue looked at the sleek black sword in Mrs Yue's hands. "My own sword wouldn't like it either."

"Mother, Father. It's getting late." Yue Xin kindly reminded them that they were actually supposed to be running away.

"Right, right, let's go. Okay, back in you go, Vermillion!"

Vermillion protested with an unhappy buzz.

Mrs Yue packed away the remaining biscuits, tying the cloth bundle over her shoulder. "We have to head east now to rea— "

"You're not going anywhere."

Yue Xin's blood froze at the unfamiliar voice.

Mrs Yue whirled around, her face drained of any colour.

The _Wu Zun_ stood in front of them, blocking their path of escape. Any warm feeling they had during their simple dinner immediately dissipated into the cold night air. The trees that had been sheltering them suddenly turned into objects that hindered their escape.

"Li Jing Ming. I gave you two extra days from the first." Disappointment coloured the _Wu Zun_ 's voice, "I had hoped that you might be the first to actually escape."

Mrs Yue took a second to snap out of her shock. Voice trembling, she pleaded, panic, anger and fear all rolled into a single sentence. " _Please._ If you can give us three days, you can give us one more. We just need one— "

"My time limit is up. I'm sorry."

Yue Xin was disgusted that the _Wu Zun_ actually sounded _sorry_.

" _Please no— "_

Mrs Yue was cut off by the _Wu Zun_ 's swift attack. Mr Yue jumped out to protect his wife, attempting to kick the aim of the sharp sword off to the side.

But the _Wu Zun_ was two Standards higher than him. A difference of one Standard was a gap larger than the Grand Canyon, and the gap grows even larger the higher the Standards go. Mr Yue was only a pseudo-Grand Master, which meant his Qi level was still technically a Tertiary High Master's.

"Father!" A horrified scream tore out of Yue Xin's throat when she spotted the deep gash forming on Mr Yue's leg. The blood was staining his tunic black from the sheer amount of it. Her father didn't make a sound as he glared at the _Wu Zun_ , his blood dripping from the _Wu Zun's_ sword.

Life wasn't interesting at all. Yue Xin couldn't recall why escaping felt like it had been the most fun— because it wasn't.

 _Father is going to die. Mother is going to die. I am going to die. How could I be so naive?_

"Go! Run!" Father took the moment to turn and look at them one last time.

Yue Xin would never forget the love and regret she saw within her father's eyes for the rest of the life.

Mrs Yue didn't hesitate, scooping her daughter into her arms, sprinting away at full speed. She kept one hand over Yue Xin's mouth, muffling her desperate scream for her father.

"Shhh, Yue Xin, baby, it's okay."

Yue Xin couldn't see her mother's face, but she could feel the tears dripping onto the top of her head. She gripped the material in front of her mother's chest, twisting it in her tiny fist. Qi propelled Mrs Yue as she ran, becoming a mere shadow at the speed she was going. The trees flashed past them in a blur of black. The moonlight barely reached the forest floor, but Mrs Yue circumvented around the trees as smoothly as water flowing down a stream.

"We'll be fine. Shhhh...we'll get through this. Don't cry now, don't cry because the Grand Masters will hear it."

The fight with the _Wu Zun_ would attract the 12 Grand Masters that had been chasing after them these 3 days, and they would find Father—

Yue Xin squashed down the pain at the thought of her father's face.

Then the 12 Grand Masters and the _Wu Zun_ would come sniffing after them, after...

...After the fight with her father was finished.

Yue Xin realised that she didn't even manage to tell her father that she loved him.

The material within her clenched fist began to tear off a little. Mrs Yue didn't even notice as she focused on escaping, absorbing a Core Crystal at the same time to replenish her spent Qi.

"Yue Xin, listen carefully. When they find us, I will hold them back. Take these— " Yue Xin felt something being shoved into the front of her tunic, "— and run. Run as far as you can, find a place to hide, and then open the green pouch. Inside are some instructions on how to open a Teleportation Door. It takes some time for it to activate, so make sure you hide properly."

Yue Xin, in her overstrung state, still managed to catch the "When" and not an "if".

The tremor in Mrs Yue's voice grew as she continued, "Don't be scared. Mother will be right behind you fighting, and then come and escape with you through the Door, okay?"

If Yue Xin was any other 7 year old, she would have believed the lie.

Yue Xin shook her head, pulling her mother's hand from her mouth. "I'm not going anywhere without you, Mummy."

 _I want to die with you and Daddy._

Mrs Yue didn't have the time to melt and coo over the fact that her daughter finally called her "Mummy". She jumped over a thick root, landing on the soft moss of the forest floor, avoiding looking into her daughter's eyes. "Don't be stupid now. Your Mummy is very strong. I'll escape with you."

 _Liar._

But Yue Xin still held a kernel of hope that maybe, her mother would really be able to escape with her.

"Mummy. I love you."

Mrs Yue couldn't differentiate the strong emotions that overwhelmed her at Yue Xin's sentence. "I love you too."

In the distance, a blinding red light abruptly flashed throughout the whole forest, staining everything red even in this darkness.

Yue Xin looked at the blood-red sky and the green moss beneath their feet that was coloured red from the light. "What is that, Mummy? Is it Daddy?"

Mrs Yue's stunned expression that slowly morphed into a look of anguish told Yue Xin everything that she needed to know.

 _Daddy wasn't coming back._

" _Forbidden Art_ ," Mrs Yue whispered to herself. " _He used a Forbidden technique_."

Yue Xin weirdly remained silent at the realization that her father was gone now. She stared off into the distance where the red light was ebbing away.

Mrs Yue pushed herself to go even faster, now absorbing multiple Crystals at once.

"Yue Xin, keep yourself charged with Qi. When you run, don't forget to use the Core Crystals to replenish, okay? Replenishing through natural absorption from the air takes too long. Don't eat the Crystals though, the sudden burden of a Qi Beast's Qi will injure— or even kill you." Mrs Yue started to ramble, throwing in all sorts of advice.

"And in case Mummy doesn't make it through the Teleportation Door with you, you must live well on your own, get it? Don't eat shrimp everyday, remember to have a balanced diet. Find a good man and marry him alright? Remember to keep up your daily training, but don't show off your skills until absolutely necessary. Keep a low profile, understand? You should go to either of the four Blues. Get out of the New World. It's too dangerous here."

They continued running, Mrs Yue growing more tired by the second as she tried to condense all the experience from her short life of 27 years into useful information for her daughter. Yue Xin listened quietly, her eyes still fixed on the spot where the red light had faded away a long time ago.

It was the third hour when the _Wu Zun_ and two other Grand Duke Masters found them.

Mrs Yue had spent all her share of Core Crystals and was using her own Qi to continue the full speed running. She had used up a quarter of her Qi when they appeared, the two Grand Masters flying from above, while the _Wu Zun_ seemingly just stepped out of the darkness that surrounded them.

"Yue Xin! Go!" Mrs Yue pried off Yue Xin's stubborn hands, and threw her towards only opening in the formation of the three Masters.

The two Grand Masters attempted to lunge at the flying child, but was blocked by Mrs Yue's fierce attacks.

Yue Xin swallowed her tears, grim determination taking its place. She somersaulted in the air, landing safely on the ground before pumping her little legs as fast as she could, running— searching for a safe place.

She dared a look behind her, zeroing on her mother's figure. Her mother was fighting tooth and nail with the three Masters that were obviously higher in Standard than her. The two Grand Masters were Tertiary, and the _Wu Zun_ exuded power that even the two Grand Masters couldn't compare to.

 _I'll wait for you, Mummy._

* * *

 ***Xiao Jing (萧靖** **) is Mr Yue's courtesy name (explained below). No particular meaning behind his name. The two characters of his name are common characters that men have. His surname is still Yue, so his full courtesy name is 月萧靖** **Yue Xiao Jing.**

 ***Xin Yan (炘艳** **) is Mrs Yue's courtesy name. When she was given this name (at her Coming of Age), it was clear that she was the complete opposite of her birth name, so the person who gave her this name decided to name her with characters that suited Mrs Yue's bold character and rebellious streak. Xīn (炘** **) in a literary sense means flaming, or brilliant/bright, and Yàn (艳** **) in a adjectival sense is gorgeous/colourful/bright. Her full courtesy name is 李炘艳** **Li Xin Yan.**

 **Courtesy name**  
 **A courtesy name (Chinese: 字** **, zì), also known as a style name,is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. The practice is no longer common in modern Chinese society. According to the Book of Rites, after a man reaches adulthood, it is disrespectful for others of the same generation to address him by his given name, or (名** **)** ** _míng_** **. Thus, the given name was reserved for oneself and one's elders, while the zì would be used by adults of the same generation to refer to one another on formal occasions or in writing; hence the term "courtesy name". But if people in the same generation are very close, they can address each other by their given name. Females also were given a zì when they reached adulthood.**

 **Adulthood in ancient China was different: females were considered adults (at marriageable age) at 15 (omg very illegal now) and men at 20. But in this context of Empire of Churia, the standing of women were a little tiny bit higher (Mrs Yue is a special case— hers is a lot higher 'cuz she's strong), so I decided to raise the bar for females to 18.**

 **Then why is everyone calling Mrs Yue by her (míng 名** **) given name?**  
 **Because when she got famous, she wasn't an adult yet so she didn't have a courtesy name. Everyone knew her by her given name and even after her courtesy name was given it was hard to switch so somehow her given name just stuck, and everyone just calls her by her given name Li Jing Ming. Mr Yue calls Mrs Yue by her courtesy name because its the one that is less known— as a sign of their close relationship. Basically with this two everything is opposite of what normal society in Empire of Churia was.**

Division of Standards of Qi  
 **Nine Primary Standards:** 1st Primary Standard, 2nd Primary Standard...9th Primary Standard  
 **(Title: Preliminals)**

 **Nine Secondary Standards:** 1st Secondary Standard, 2nd Secondary Standard...9th Secondary Standard  
 **(Title: Professionals)**

 **Transcendent Standard:** Primary Transcendent Standard, Tertiary Transcendant Standard  
 **(Title: Masters)**

 **Intrinsic Standard:** Primary Intrinsic Standard, Tertiary Intrinsic Standard  
 **(Title: High Masters)**

 **Crescive Standard:** Primary Crescive Standard, Tertiary Crescive Standard  
 **(Title: Grand Masters)**

 **And the reveal of a secret — a higher Standard! The sixth Standard: Transdimensional standard:** Primary, Tertiary  
 **(Title: Grand Duke Masters)**


	5. Chapter 5

Just in case you wanted a reference, here are the Standards again:  
 **Nine Primary Standards:** 1st Primary Standard, 2nd Primary Standard...9th Primary Standard  
 **(Title: Preliminals)**

 **Nine Secondary Standards:** 1st Secondary Standard, 2nd Secondary Standard...9th Secondary Standard  
 **(Title: Professionals)**

 **Transcendent Standard:** Primary Transcendent Standard, Tertiary Transcendant Standard  
 **(Title: Masters)**

 **Intrinsic Standard:** Primary Intrinsic Standard, Tertiary Intrinsic Standard  
 **(Title: High Masters)**

 **Crescive Standard:** Primary Crescive Standard, Tertiary Crescive Standard  
 **(Title: Grand Masters)**

 **The secret but not so secret anymore sixth Standard— Transdimensional standard:** Primary, Tertiary  
 **(Title: Grand Duke Masters)**

* * *

Yue Xin opened the green pouch that was stuffed into her tunic by her mother, trying to make out the words and pictures drawn on the paper scroll.

Martial artists had excellent eyesight, and once they reached the Transcendent Standard, they would be able to see perfectly in the dark even without a single ray of light. Yue Xin was only at the 9th Secondary Standard, so her eyesight was better than most, but the scarce moonlight still posed a little inconvenience.

"Teleportation Door is a technique that allows all marti— " Yue Xin skipped the long string of words introducing the technique that was squeezed onto the small paper, searching for instructions to activate the Door, "— draw a circle— yes! Here it is."

She bit her finger, using her blood as ink, drawing it onto the rocky ground of the cave she stumbled upon. The pattern of the mystic mandala was extremely complicated. Yue Xin kept her hand steady, squashing all her fear into one corner and concentrated entirely on finishing the mandala as soon as possible.

As she leaned over to draw the last few lines at the other side of the large circle, an elaborately embroidered black drawstring pouch fell out of her tunic.

Yue Xin's pupils constricted at the sight of the pouch.

It was her mother's Pocket.

Vermillion was inside the Pocket.

 _Mummy was fighting the Masters without her sword._

The last kernel of hope that Yue Xin had been holding on vanished. Her face scrunched up, vision getting blurry from the tears filling her eyes. She picked up the black pouch, silent tears falling onto the satin material.

 _Liar. Mummy is a liar._

Mrs Yue had never intended to escape with Yue Xin through the Door. She was prepared to die from the moment she stuffed the Pocket together with the green pouch into Yue Xin's tunic.

Yue Xin tapped on the Pocket, and Vermillion appeared, floating in the air. The sentient sword was crafted in the Great Prosperous Age of the Empire of Churia, before the world became the World Government's. Somehow, as time passed, the black sword gained a consciousness of its own, similar to how the rumored cursed swords of the Kitestsu had a mind of its own, yet it was not cursed like the Kitetsu are.

Yue Xin gave up on drawing the mystic mandala, sitting on the ground as the sword circled around her, sadness present in its sharp lines for its lost master.

"Mummy is a liar, Vermillion. She's a liar." Yue Xin beckoned to the black sword, caressing the vermiilion coloured line that shot through the central ridge of the black sword, running from the hilt before coming to a stop inches before the tip.

Vermillion drifted close to Yue Xin, nudging her with its pommel.

"Daddy's dead. Mummy's dead." Her voice was flat, like she was merely reading from a menu of a restaurant. Yue Xin couldn't care if the lines of the mandala she was sitting on got smudged. She couldn't care about anything now.

Vermillion nudged her again, more anxiously.

"I can meet Daddy and Mummy soon though, Vermillion."

Vermillion wasn't listening, trying to make Yue Xin grab its own grip by nudging her arm insistently. Yue Xin just watched the cave entrance, waiting. Vermillion circled twice around the small child worriedly, trying again to make Yue Xin grab itself.

Out of the blue, Vermillion straightened, the blade singing as it sliced towards the cave entrance, sending an attack through the air.

The attack was deflected by something unseen at the entrance, and it was sent back into the cave, narrowly missing Yue Xin's head as it scored deep lines within the cave's wall.

"He's here." Yue Xin murmured.

Vermillion knocked Yue Xin on the head with the flat of its blade, reprimanding her for her lack of action at the appearance of an enemy.

"Were you waiting for me, little one?" The masked _Wu Zun_ stepped out from nowhere again, strolling into the cave.

Yue Xin noticed the flecks of blood on his shoe, and several stains on his tunic.

None of the blood belonged to him.

Vermillion hovered in front of her protectively, blade poised and ready to attack. Yue Xin grabbed the sword and locked it back into the Pocket. It was blocking her way.

The _Wu Zun_ stopped when he noticed the mandala circle on the floor, but soon realised it was incomplete when it didn't glow with the noticeable white light that Teleportation Doors have.

"Your father was a tenacious man. It surprised me that he knew one of the Forbidden Arts. He took out three Grand Masters with him— almost caught me in it too." The _Wu Zun_ bent down, studying the child at eye level curiously. "Your mother was an amazing woman too. She almost activated another Forbidden Art, but I stopped her before she could do it. I had learnt after the mistake of letting your father activate one. She still managed to kill the two Grand Masters, oh, and the other two that came to help."

The gears in Yue Xin's mind whirled and clicked as she unconsciously started observing again. The mask was covering most of his facial features, but his eyes and mouth were visible through the holes of the mask.

 _The same sorry look again._

Rage started to pulse through her veins, making her quiver with the intense hatred.

 _He's letting his guard down in front of me, coming so close, squatting down, arms on his knees, casual stance—_

 _Pity in his eyes._

"Are you scared, little one? Look at you trembling." The _Wu Zun_ couldn't see her face as she had bowed her head, "I'll make it qu— "

Small fingers aimed for his eyes, the speed and strength of a viper locking on to its prey.

The _Wu Zun_ leaned back, dodging the venomous attempt at gouging out his eyes, his expression turning cold.

"Ninth Secondary Standard. Pseudo-Transcendent Standard." He muttered, a hint of praise within. "Incredible. How old are you, little one?"

The _Wu Zun_ grabbed Yue Xin by the collar, lifting her up to his eye level. He disregarded the seething look of hatred she was giving him, and asked again, "How old are you?"

Yue Xin spat on his face, sorely disappointed that the mask prevented her spit from hitting his skin. "You're a weak puppet."

She had figured out everything. Her mother had stopped when she mentioned the enemy, but she pieced the puzzle together within her head. "The Wor" could only mean one thing. Someone strong enough that even her mother was afraid of— someone even more powerful than the trouble it will bring when betraying the world's number one Sect. Someone you can never escape from. Someone that could control a country, and establish the position of _Wu Zun_ as a means of controlling while packaging it as a an attractive prize.

What could override a nation's power? There was only one higher governing body in this world— The World Government.

She understood why her mother left running as a last resort.

Because there was no running away from this massive enemy that Yue Xin couldn't comprehend the entirety of it.

"Why are you sorry? Why are you pitying me? This is your job isn't it? Don't be all sorry and then kill my parents without a second thought," Yue Xin hissed, "You're _disgusting."_

Anger flashed within the _Wu Zun_ 's eyes, but he suppressed the urge within him to smack the child. He kicked a stick up from the floor, driving it through the back of Yue Xin's collar and into the stone wall of the cave.

Yue Xin didn't struggle as she watched the man reach into his clothes for a blue embroidered Pocket, retrieving a small disc with some small bones scattered within it. A mandala was etched into each of the small bones and the glass disc.

"Even if you won't tell me your age, I can find out by myself." The _Wu Zun_ took Yue Xin's finger, pricking it with a focused release of his Qi. He squeezed Yue Xin's finger, letting a drop of blood hit the disc with a small "ping".

The small bones within the disc began to vibrate, the vibrations becoming more vigorous as they moved around the disc to form something.

Yue Xin's eyes widened when she realized that the bones formed a number "7".

Upon seeing the number, the _Wu Zun_ threw his head back and laughed, obvious joy to be seen even though his face was obscured by the mask.

"Seven! Incredible! It's the chance I have been waiting for. This is the chance the Heavens has presented to me! HAHAHAHAH!"

Yue Xin frowned at the man. "Why are you doing this?"

The _Wu Zun_ grabbed Yue Xin's wrist, letting a small stream of his own Qi into her body, checking out the map of her Qi veins. Yue Xin tried to pull back her wrist from the uncomfortable invasion of his Qi, but his grip was as strong as a vice.

"Perfect! Perfect! You have a perfect constitution for Qi! You are the rare gem that I have been waiting for!"

"Stop it!"

The _Wu Zun_ then let go of Yue Xin, his mouth splitting into a jubilant smile. "Do you know why the World Government enslaves us so? Picking out the most capable martial artist of our Empire every seven years by lying to the public— that the _Wu Zun_ is the strongest, the one that will attain the highest rank and the most privileges, then kill the promising young bud? Do you know why there are always only 12 Grand Masters, and the only one unknown Grand Duke Master— me? There has always been a fixed number of us, forced to lie to our fellow countrymen, to do their dirty work. Do you know why?"

Yue Xin remained silent.

He chuckled maniacally, the hand on his mask curled in like he was trying to claw into it. "Because Qi is stronger than Haki. Qi unlocks potential and power that far exceeds the Haki that the World Government utilizes. _Haki is subpar to Qi._

"We don't have 5 Standards. We have 9 Standards. When you reach the sixth Standard, you are already on par with the strongest Haki users in this world. No— even _stronger_. But with Qi, we are able to go even higher, become even more powerful than the rulers of the world. Than the Five Elders of the World Government. We have the ability to wipe them out completely, shift the mountains and drain the seas literally— and legend says that if you reach the final ninth Standard— you can challenge Heaven's Wrath and become an omnipotent being; a god."

The man looked like he was crazy.

Yue Xin paused. He was probably already crazy.

"When the Great Kingdom fell, every martial artist above the sixth Standard was annihilated. Books, knowledge about any higher Standards were burned or sealed off. The method to reaching a higher Standard than the Crescive Standard was lost and forgotten. I am different. I was chosen to learn about this method to reach the sixth Standard, to be the only one bound to this fate of sending my own countrymen to their deaths during each Final Showdown. The 12 Grand Masters and I— we are puppets of the World Government— we work against our own country to limit its potential. We are traitors. _Betrayers._ "

The _Wu Zun_ suddenly caressed Yue Xin's cheek, "But we have you now. You can save us all. Free us from the World Government's control...maybe...maybe even overthrow them. Crush them under your shoe— and take over this world instead."

Yue Xin turned her face away from the offending hand, squirming to get away.

"Little one. I won't kill you. Take this from me. And hopefully, you will free us from the devil's clutches one day." As he spoke, he placed a hand on Yue Xin's forehead, a pulse of Qi tearing into her mind.

Yue Xin cried out in pain as the pulse of Qi emanated a glaring blue light, and a huge amount of information was forced into her brain.

Images, words and snippets of conversations were forced into her mind. Yue Xin felt her head was going to explode as her consciousness rocketed through all the information filling up her brain. After what felt like an eternity, it finally slowed to a stop.

The _Wu Zun_ panted as he removed his hand from Yue Xin's sweating forehead. "Now...you must run, you must live...I need to send you to a safer place. Live and...train to surpass the World Government. Surpass me. Save the Empire. Restore our former glory." He strode over to the unfinished mystic mandala, biting the tip of his finger to allow blood to flow.

"Teleportation Door, huh." The crazed man studied the circle for a little while, before moving in to draw the finishing lines. The mandala circle pulsed with a white glow, small cracks beginning to appear along the bloody lines drawn on the rocky floor.

"I need a head. I need a head. I need a head..." The _Wu Zun_ murmured as he stood up, walking out of the cave.

Yue Xin didn't bother to try and figure out what he was doing. She had a steadily thrumming headache in the back of her head after the transfer.

He came back with a head of a white bearded old man. Yue Xin's eyes narrowed at the severed neck dripping blood. She had no fear for the gore, but the head...it was one of the Grand Master's wasn't it? She couldn't remember the faces of all 12 of them, but all of them had the same long white beard.

The masked man lifted the head in front of Yue Xin, and she grimaced at the wide-eyed look of betrayal perfectly captured on the Grand Master's face on his moment of death.

"Give me another drop of your blood."

Yue Xin willingly raised her hand and squeezed a drop out of the finger the _Wu Zun_ had previously pricked. Anything to quickly get the ugly face out of her sight.

The drop of blood landed on the mandala the _Wu Zun_ had drawn on the forehead of the dead man. The mandala glowed brightly as the face of the Grand Master slowly turned into a carbon copy of Yue Xin's face. The long white beard became a smooth chin and the head shrinked as the hair turned from a snowy white into dark chocolate.

Yue Xin couldn't take her eyes off her "head". This should have been her right now.

 _I should be meeting Mummy and Daddy now._

It was perfect timing. The Door had fully formed and the pieces were falling out of the large cracks. A blue afternoon sky could be seen on the other side of the Door.

"Hide and never reveal your true identity," The man plucked out the stick nailing Yue Xin to the wall. "Don't use your face."

His haunted eyes locked onto Yue Xin's dark orbs.

"Free me. Free us."

Then he threw Yue Xin through the Door.

* * *

Yue Xin had a long dream.

She dreamt about a talented child, a natural born martial arts prodigy. The child was born a long time ago; the scenery within the dream was something Yue Xin had read about in history books.

She watched the child train, and slowly grow into a fine young man.

She watched all his battles and his experiences— his joy when he had broke through to the Crescive Standard, his pride at being called the first to become a Grand Master at such a young age. She watched his journey to becoming the _Wu Zun_ , then felt his despair when he realised that all that he had worked for was for naught.

She watched his struggle to kill the then _Wu Zun_ to replace him; to fight for survival.

Then his descent into madness as he realised his lifespan grew longer when he became a Grand Duke Master. His realisation that he would have to continue to send his countrymen to their deaths, his regret that he had never chosen death, the hope within him that one day someone would kill him like what he did to the other _Wu Zun_.

She watched as he stole sealed scrolls from a freezing vault, learning about the rest of the Standards, and the fact that he was given by the World Government an incomplete method to fully reach the Transdimensional Standard.

She watched as he secretly trained to complete his full Primary Transdimensional Standard, but was eventually discovered. She watched as five old men in suits torture him every day for seven years, till he was nothing but an empty husk when he appeared at the next Final Showdown. They threatened him with a Buster Call on the Empire if he ever defied their orders again.

Yue Xin couldn't wake herself up from the dream. She didn't want to see anymore of it. She didn't want to understand the man who killed her parents. She didn't want to sympathise with him.

But she couldn't move an inch— couldn't open her eyes.

She was forced to continue to watch.

* * *

When Yue Xin opened her eyes, she was greeted with the chubby face of a bear cub sprawled on top of her.

Mama Bear was sitting by her side, already sharpening her claws to prepare for the meal.

Then all of them froze when the "meal" was woke up.

"Hello."

Mama Bear stood up slowly, its hackles raised as it realised its cub was being hugged like a teddy bear by the human that was actually smaller than its cub.

"You are not a Qi Beast." Yue Xin put the cub down before she got caught in its nasty teeth.

Qi Beasts inhabited only in the Empire and the vicinity around it. If the bear here wasn't a Qi Beast, she must not be anywhere near the Empire.

Mama Bear growled at Yue Xin, licking her lips at the thought of eating such a tasty morsel. The mother bear could smell something good from Yue Xin— if she ate it, she could probably become stronger.

Yue Xin noticed the hunger in the mother bear's eyes. Oh right. She forgot that martial artists were extremely delicious to any beast in the world. It was the Qi they were after. Qi Beasts could level up if they digested a strong martial artist— and techincally martial artists could eat each other too if they wanted to get a boost up. Other normal beasts could strengthen their body if they ate a martial artist.

Martial artists were basically walking vitamins.

Not everyone could become a martial artist, they had to be born with a special set of veins other than the set you have for your blood and stuff. This set of translucent veins were called Qi Veins. The Qi Veins were pretty; they shimmered ever so lightly with the colours of the rainbow whenever Yue Xin "looked" into her body.

Yue Xin didn't know, but black markets loved Qi Veins. Collectors liked to have a set around.

Yue Xin eyed the bear and its cub. They were so much weaker. Much less dangerous than the escape from the Grand Masters. They couldn't instill the same fear she had when she was at death's door in the _Wu Zun's_ clutches.

She could probably use them as some training material. And food. She was starving.

It was her first time too to test out her skills with anything other than with her mother. Yue Xin crouched, gathering Qi within her legs, and pounced.

* * *

 _How do I start a fire?_

The fight had ended more quickly than Yue Xin expected. The cub ran when Yue Xin brandished her bloodied fists at it, and Yue Xin just let it leave. She didn't have the heart to kill it either when the image of herself running away from the _Wu Zun_ suddenly overlapped with the running cub.

She then sat down to work, skinning and bear and carving out its flesh clumsily with Vermillion. The sentient sword expressed its extreme displeasure by shaking off all the blood from its blade. It was supposed to carve out the flesh of its enemies— not a random bear.

Now Yue Xin was stuck at the most important part. The fire. She had limited schooling since she didn't join any academies or Sects. Survival knowledge was part and parcel of a martial artist's life, but she had barely started on this journey— she was only 7 for Heaven's sake.

 _Mummy. Mummy always started the campfire._

Yue Xin ignored the feelings that welled up within her, concentrating instead on the memory of how her mother usually started campfires.

 _Mummy snapped her fingers...and used her Qi?_

Yue Xin looked at the sticks neatly arranged in the circle outlined by small stones. She held her hand out at the pile of sticks, sending Qi towards them. It only succeeded in toppling the pile.

 _Friction using Qi! Heat is produced when there is friction!_

Yue Xin almost patted herself on the back when she remembered this from a book she had read. Thank the Heavens that she was a bookworm.

She rearranged the sticks, trying to manipulate her Qi to pass through the gaps between each stick. It required the most precise of manipulation of one's Qi, to not topple the sticks and let it pass through the gaps fast enough so that the Qi creates a delicious friction with the stick, producing a spark.

After the 245th try, Yue Xin succeeded. She wiped the sweat off her head and crashed to the floor, thoroughly exhausted. Finally she could eat some meat. The sun was already setting, the forest becoming darker as the shadows grew.

Her skill in Qi manipulation increased dramatically. The precision she had with it was comparable to that an experienced High Master. Again, Yue Xin didn't know just how much of a genius she was, but if it were anyone at the 9th Secondary Standard like her, no one would be able to light a fire that way.

While Yue Xin was roasting the bear meat, an idea popped into her head. She slapped her thigh in exasperation when she realised that she could have used other objects instead of Qi to produce the spark. She had been too fixated on one method without opening her mind to other possibilities.

Yue Xin mentally noted down to always keep her choices open as she tore into the roasted meat.

Then it was time for her daily reflection. She liked to spend some time to reflect on the events of the day and try to analyse or catch any other things she had missed throughout the day. She lied against the tree trunk, legs stretched out in front of her on the thick branch she had climbed on. It was her chosen bed for the night. Vermillion floated around the tree protectively, threatening hungry wild beasts with sharp little swishes.

"V— Vermillion?" A small voice called out to the sword.

The black sword sent a strong wave of slashes towards the beasts to fend them off before rushing over to its new master. It wiggled in the air, trying to ask what's wrong.

Yue Xin's face collapsed when she saw the black sword fretting over her again— so much like her mother.

"I..."

Vermillion didn't know what to do when tears began to pour down Yue Xin's face, snot and all.

"I...I want Mummy...I want Daddy!" The girl wailed, her small frame shaking violently with heart-wrenching sobs. The beasts scattered at the sudden sound.

"I want— I want them to come back...I want them...come back..."

Vermillion had no sheath so it couldn't exactly let the girl hug it to comfort her. Vermillion decided to lay itself on Yue Xin's lap, which was so small it had to balance itself before it fell. It sent small vibrations into Yue Xin's lap, simulating a cat's purr.

Teardrops fell like rain onto the black sword. The cold night wind whistled through the trees, echoing the hollowness within Yue Xin's heart.

Yue Xin's suppressed emotions had exploded the moment she relaxed. She didn't want to cry. She never cried.

But the pain just wouldn't go away.

"I'm scar...I'm scared, Vermillion, I wan— I want to go home. I want to...go home..." Yue Xin hiccuped, fingers digging into the tree branch beneath her. The bark chipped and the wood started to splinter.

Multiple pairs of yellow eyes lit up below the tree. Some of the beasts had realised that Yue Xin was vulnerable— and they were going to take their chance to devour the enriching meat in form of a human girl.

Vermillion wiggled out of Yue Xin's lap, floating beside her, ready to drink some warm blood.

Yue Xin blinked the tears away in her eyes when big cougar-tiger like cats emerged from the shadows into her range of sight.

"Go away." Yue Xin glared at the large cats. Her voice still trembled.

She wanted to be alone. Why was she still getting targeted— even now? When she had nothing on her, when she had nothing _left._

When she just wanted time alone to hide from this terrifying world— when she wanted to grieve for her parents— _why wasn't anyone letting her?_

They inched closer, the mouthwatering scent of Yue Xin already overtaking their natural instincts to survive.

"Go away." Yue Xin repeated, the steel in her voice halting the steps of the large cats— but only temporarily.

Vermillion waited patiently. It somehow knew that it had to stay by its master's side.

Yue Xin's glare was turning into something dark. The darkness one sees at the bottom of a murky swamp, where impending danger lurked at every corner. "Go _away."_

The first of the large cougar-tiger mixed cats were already clawing up the tree, saliva uncontrollably dripping from their open maw, eyes fixed on their enticing meal. A low growl erupted from the first cat when it inched even closer to the motionless girl. It was on the branch, and oh the _smell—_ it was unquestionably the tastiest thing that the cat had ever smelt.

The smell granted power.

Power which all beasts lusted after.

A wrangled wraith-like scream reverberated through the silent forest. The girl in front of the cougar stood up on the branch, her small hand reaching out for the black blade that had been waiting quietly for this moment.

"I told you," Yue Xin hissed, "GO AWAY!"

A strong slash sliced the startled cougar in half. Its companions under the tree howled in anger when the two halves of their comrade came thudding down upon them.

Blood splattered Yue Xin's face and tunic. The warm liquid slightly appeased the fury within her. She wanted to hack everything into pieces— it was unfair, _so unfair_! Why couldn't she be left alone? Why couldn't she crawl into a hole in the ground and maybe— just maybe just let herself suffocate, buried under dirt. Why couldn't she have her parents back? Why was it her?

Her daddy had sacrificed himself to save her and mummy. Her mummy had tried to sacrificed herself to save the weak her.

 _Is it all because of me? Mummy could have escaped if it weren't for me— she would have Vermillion with her— she would have escaped—_

Yue Xin slashed through another warm body. She pierced the rolling head of the cougar-tiger cat with one thrust of her sword. "Go away. Go away!"

 _It was my fault. I was too weak— I was so weak I needed to be protected. I thought I was strong...I thought I was already stronger than others._

Feeling unsatisfied, Yue Xin stabbed at the head until it was an unrecognizable mess of red flesh and white brain matter.

"Don't run. Come here. Let me kill all of you."

The other cats were starting to regain back their fear when they saw the little girl crush the leftover eyeball under her pink silk embroidered flats. "Why are you running away? I thought you guys wanted to eat me?

"Why don't you try!" Another inhuman scream erupted from the bloodied girl. " _I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!"_

The cats' legs shivered, turning away to run for their lives, ears pinned back and tails between their legs. They howled in fear now as a small demon chased after them cutting them down one by one, showing not even a shred of mercy and she stamped on their snouts, digging her Qi-infused fingers into their stomachs, ripping out their intestines and heart while they wailed.

Yue Xin couldn't see through her veil of tears as she tore into yet another large cat.

 _WHY AM I SO WEAK?_

Yue Xin imagined the Grand Masters' faces and that _revolting Wu Zun_ as she slashed at everything the sword touches. She used every ounce of her strength behind each slash, wanting to cut them out of her minds, wanting to throw all these _hatredragedespair_ somewhere where she wouldn't lose all control of her emotions.

Nothing was left standing in the surroundings.

Moonlight finally touched the forest floor for the first time through the forcibly made clearing.

Pure, white, untainted moonlight shone over the trembling figure of a little girl.

The black sword abruptly hit the leaf-covered floor, Vermillion giving a small worried buzz.

Yue Xin stared at her red hands, some blood on her palms already drying out into a dark brown cake. Her own blood was mixed within it too, having swung the sword till her skin was all split open.

This wasn't like her. She never lost control. She didn't like this feeling of losing control.

The moonlight was glaring when she lifted her head to look at it. The moon never changes, no matter where you look at it in this world.

Yue Xin sat down in the middle of the clearing which looked like a bulldozer had run through it.

She was tired.

So tired.

* * *

Instincts jolted her awake.

She reached out for Vermillion, the sword immediately flying right into her awaiting hand.

 _It's morning. Three...three humans...no...children._

Training with Qi heightens every sense. Every martial artist could sense their enemies' presence— similar to what other non-martial artists know as the Observational Haki. A martial artist could gather Qi at their eyes as well if they wanted to see something far away. The higher their Standard, the farther and the clearer they can see with their Qi-infused eyes.

Yue Xin called her Qi to her eyes, frowning when she realised the three human children were closer than she thought. Too close. She must have been really tired after yesterday's tantrum. If she was less tired then she would have a chance to run away. But whatever, Yue Xin wanted a bath and a better bed than the forest floor crawling with a lot of bugs.

That's right, she was going to call it a tantrum. Yue Xin vowed to never have one again.

She could hear the three boys' laughter— they were just right behind a bush— and...

"Wow! What the hell happened here?!" A boy with black wavy hair and freckles stopped in his tracks when he took in the damaged forest, trunks four times as thick as them strewn about like lego blocks that was made for a giant to play with.

And then the smell of blood made the three boys tense up instantly. "Luffy. Be careful."

Blood was smeared everywhere when they really looked. No, it wasn't blood, its—

"Those are carcasses..."

"Who did this? Is there a new monster that came to take over the forest? The damage is incredible!"

A blond boy in a top hat climbed nimbly over the tree trunks, using the pipe to move a mangled carcass away from his landing site. "I think these are— "

The two boys below shouted "what" when they realised the blond one didn't finish his sentence.

"There's— There's someone out there!"

* * *

 **I originally had different plans— the trio weren't supposed to meet Yue Xin but somehow as I wrote this scene just came out naturally. Argh! And Yue Xin was supposed to be two years older than Luffy! Now she's the same age since they are meeting now. Shucks. I need to rethink about everything now...probably going to take me a week or two at least. (sulks in corner)**


	6. Chapter 6

**oh dear oh no it's exam period so I'M GONNA BE GONE FOR A MONTH TO SAVE MY DYING GRADES**

* * *

Yue Xin's Qi-infused ears twitched. They finally saw her. She could need some help after all.

She sat cross-legged calmly in the middle of the clearing, putting Vermillion down beside her.

The three boys stumbled towards her, the smallest boy in a straw hat gasping at her, his jaw literally hitting the ground with a smack.

"Hello there." Yue Xin smiled, white teeth flashing among the red that covered her.

The three boys cringed.

Oh. She probably looked like a demon with blood all over her and smiling like that. Smiling was not a good choice here. Yue Xin retracted her smile, opting for a more subtle curve of her lips. Her eyes didn't stop to capture all the little details on the three boys as her observing habit kicked in.

"I am not a monster, if that's what you are thinking. And yes, I did this. " Yue Xin croaked out, her parched throat burning. She was dehydrated after all the crying. "My name is Yu— um...I don't remember..."

The boy in the straw hat tilted his head, and Yue Xin could practically see question marks popping out from his head. "The mystery meat is talking!"

Because Yue Xin totally looked liked raw meat that always blood all over it whenever they cut it out from their hunt.

The other two older boys had their eyes narrowed suspiciously at the girl who looked like she took a dip in a bathtub full of blood. "You did this? Who are you? Why are you here?" The boy with freckles asked warily.

 _Grip tightened on pipe. Foot shifted slightly forward. Ready to fight? No. Defend. Defend who? Ah, the slower strawhat boy. So innocent. Definitely not these two though. Blood, steel, fighting posture so natural — not mere children. Who are they?_

"Where am I? I don't know where I am. Can you tell me? I don't remember anything— I think I got lost." Yue Xin turned on her angelic charms, giving confused kicked puppy-eye looks at the three.

 _Old clothes. Tattered. Shoes worn out. Poor. Alone or cared for?...Definitely alone. Alone in the forest. Abandoned? Or..._

"Ah! You got lost? We are in Goa Kingdo— " The strawhat boy piped up but was quickly shut up by the freckled boy slapping a hand over his mouth.

"Aceshhh." The strawhat boy mumbled softly in protest behind his hand. "Wee can herrlp ther mhysterypershon!"

The freckled boy ignored his protests and kept his hand over the boy's mouth.

"Liar. Do you think we are stupid? No one appears in the forest looking like you do, covered in blood and gunk and all that shit. Lost? Don't even get me started on it. Who are you really?"

Little strawhat boy had stopped struggling when he understood that the mystery person had lied to him.

"I lost my memory of what happened," Yue Xin lied smoothly, not even batting an eye. She got the slightly panicked tone down, "I only remember me being in my bedroom, and then suddenly I woke up here! And beasts came to attack me and this happened— " She gestured at the destroyed trees.

 _Not convincing enough! Think! QUICK!_

Yue Xin let her head drop in apparent shame. "I was so scared...I still can't control my strength...And I accidentally...I accidentally damaged so many trees and the beasts..."

Ace frown deepened when he recalled the state of the mangled carcasses he'd seen. It reminded him less of fear and more of something he had battled with since he was born.

Unbeknowst to others, Yue Xin let her tongue slip out and lick a small portion of blood from her cracking lips. The taste of dried blood mixed with dirt and unidentified stuff made her gag. To the three boys, it seemed like she was gagging at the mention of the mutilated carcasses. "I...I didn't know it would become like this...I'm sorry!"

 _More! More! Tears come out quick!_

Yue Xin sniffled, letting one tear slide down her blood-caked cheek. "I'm sorry!"

The three boys shuffled uncomfortably as the girl before them bawled loudly, tears already starting to leave skin-coloured streaks in their wake.

"A-Ace...you made her cry...you go comfort her." The blond guy elbowed the freckled boy, who was apparently called Ace.

 _Mummy was right. Women's tears are a weapon of its own._

"I just asked her where she came from!" Ace folded his arms indignantly. "She's just another crybaby like Luffy!"

The two boys found their eyes shifting towards Luffy, who—

Who was already in front of the girl?

Ace and top hat boy bolted forward, worried for their baby brother. And when had he gotten there?!

"Don't cry, mystery person, Ace and Sabo are very strong! I'm sure they can help you!" Luffy squatted next to the crying girl, his large eyes blinking.

Yue Xin started to feel bad as the innocent boy continued to comfort her.

"T-thank you..." Yue Xin had to stop her act now before she gave in and confessed everything to the little boy beside her. She rubbed her tears away with her also very bloodied sleeve, still sniffling. "I want to go back home and find...and find Mummy and D-Daddy."

"Ace and Sabo will definitely— "

"No, Luffy. We won't." Ace conked Luffy on the head.

Yue Xin made a snap decision. Tears only worked to a certain extent on these people; she needed to go for a more extreme option.

"AAAAHHHH! SHE FAINTED!" Sabo yelled in surprise, grabbing the girl before she fell right into his legs.

"What?!"

"OH NO! WHAT DO WE DO?"

Yue Xin could imagine the cold expression on the freckled boy's face as he said, "What do we do? We leave her here."

Then the innocent lamb in a straw hat piped up, "Bu— BUT she just fainted!"

"Uh, I think it's kind of our fault..." Sabo interjected as well.

Then Yue Xin felt a foot slam down onto her stomach.

It took everything in her to not open her eyes right there and cut the rude freckle-face down. It was even more of a struggle to maintain her fainting act. Vermillion twitched a little beside her.

"ACE! You can't do that!"

"Just checking."

"OH!" Luffy got distracted, "Look, a black sword! A black and red sword?" He picked up Vermillion as the sentient sword also put on the convincing act of being a usual dumb sword.

"Is it hers? Must be hers." Sabo whistled at the sight of the beautiful blade. The black blade glinted in the sun, the eye-catching red line shooting through its centre only adding a certain air of grace and mystery to it.

"Looks expensive. Can we sell it? Let's steal it from her. She's dead to the world now— she won't know."

 _Sorry Vermillion, you're on your own now._

"Um— " Top hat boy tried to reason that once the girl woke up she would probably ask where her sword went.

Ace was already fantasizing with the amount of money they could get. "We could save all these money for our Pirate Fund!"

"Oh right!" Sabo abandoned his previous attempt at reasoning; nothing was more important than the Pirate Fund anyways.

"I can become the Pirate King and eat a lot of meat!"

Yue Xin forced herself to keep still as she heard saliva dripping onto the ground beside her from the strawhat boy.

"Let's search her for more valuable stuff!"

She felt a hand ruffle around her outermost tunic. Luckily, the hand didn't make contact with anything it wasn't supposed to touch _(cough)_ , so Yue Xin just continued to feign unconsciousness.

"What's this thing?" Ace took his hand out together with a black drawstring silk pouch.

Yue Xin peeked through her eyelashes. _Mummy's Pocket!_

The freckled boy pulled at the opening of the Pocket, grunting when the Pocket refused to open. "What the heck? Why won't it open?"

"Let me try." Sabo took the pouch over from Ace, but failed to open it as well.

Another rubbery hand stuffed itself into her tunic while Sabo was pulling at the Pocket with his teeth. Yue Xin had never been so glad that the Empire's fashion consisted of layers of silk tunics. It had been a chilling autumn at the Empire, so she wore thicker and more layers silk tunics.

If she hadn't, Yue Xin might have bitten Ace's and currently Luffy's hand off.

"There's another!" Luffy procured a green pouch, "And another!" A blue drawstring pouch popped out.

Warning bells went off in Yue Xin's head. She didn't have a blue one— a blue _Pocket_ by that look of it.

 _Wu Zun._

Yue Xin only barely remembered to flutter her eyes open— slowly, to make it seem like she had just regained consciousness. "Wait, what are you doing?"

 _When did he give me the blue Pocket?_

"Oh she's awake. Let's tie her up," Ace calmly ordered while he futilely pulled at the opening of the blue Pocket.

Sabo already had a long twine he picked up from the forest floor in his hand.

 _Don't resist, don't resist._

Yue Xin suppressed her instinct to flip the blond over and grapple him into a chokehold. She couldn't risk using Qi in front of anyone. She was supposed to be a blank slate.

"No! What are you doing?" Yue Xin protested weakly as she scrambled back from Sabo.

"Tying you up?" He answered kindly as he advanced with the twine in hand.

Yue Xin gave a show of struggling against Sabo, but let the boy overpower her easily. She felt as though she was the game they had just hunted as the blond tied her hands and legs together deftly with practiced ease.

Once she was safely bound, Ace dangled the three pouches in front of her, "What's inside? Why can't we open it?"

"I don't know...I don't know anything..."

 _I need to get them back. Steal? Kill? No. He hasn't tried the green pouch. He'll give it back to me._

Ace crossed his arms in irritation when he spotted tears welling up in the little girl's eyes again, "Stop crying!" Crossed, he threw the three pouches into Yue Xin's lap. "Useless shit! Tch!"

Yue Xin couldn't tell whether he was talking about the pouches or her. Vermillion that had been forgotten on the floor twitched a little more violently than before at Ace's comment.

"WHO IS GOING TO STAB ACE'S FOOT?!" Luffy yelped suddenly.

"Who the hell's going to stab my foot?!"

"Huh?! You were going to what?!"

"I'm not going to stab anybody!" Yue Xin wailed, "I'm still tied up!"

Luffy looked around for the source of the voice he had heard, forehead creased in the attempt to find the offender who dared to think about harming his beloved older brother.

"AH!"

"Heavens, I told you its not— !" Yue Xin exclaimed when the scarred boy pointing a finger at her. Or more accurately, at the sword lying beside her.

 _Oh, no._

Her thoughts clicked into place when everyone's eyes landed on the black sword.

"It was this sword! It talked just now!" Luffy jabbed another finger at it, trying to convince his brothers that looked at him like there was something wrong with his head— which they didn't doubt there was (and still loved him for it) _—_ but even then, a talking sword?

Yue Xin tried to do some damage control. "A-are you crazy? This is a sword, you know?"

Meanwhile she sent telepathic thoughts towards Vermillion, hoping that the sentient item would somehow receive her message of ' _don't you dare move'._

"I heard it! It said Ace was very rude and wanted to stab his foot!"

"Oi." The freckled boy glared at Luffy.

"Well, its true that Ace is rude." Sabo shrugged.

He earned a disapproving glare from the said boy in question.

Luffy picked Vermillion up again with both hands, shaking the sword wildly, "Hello! I am Monkey D. Luffy! I'm going to be the Pirate King!"

Yue Xin gave a subtle sigh as she prayed that Vermillion wouldn't say— _think—_ anything next.

But Vermillion hated being handled like she was a goddamn toy being tossed around by a seven year old, and sent a threatening vibration through Luffy's rubber arms.

Luffy yelped and dropped the sword, but his eyes were wide with glee, "It talked again just now! It said 'stop shaking'!"

If Yue Xin could facepalm, she would have.

 _Sorry, Vermillion, you're_ really _on your own now. Somehow this guy can hear you and yet I can't._

"Can I keep the sword? Hey, mystery girl, can I keep it? Can I? I like it!" Luffy cradled the black sword in his arms.

"No. It's mine." Yue Xin rejected the boy firmly.

"No, it's Luffy's now." Rude-boy folded his arms, "You have no right to say no."

"It's obviously mine!"

"No! I said, it's Luffy's now! Suck it up you piece of shit!"

Luffy went off to play with his new friend Mystery Sword, while Sabo guffawed at the duo spitting at each other over the ownership of the sword.

In a fit of anger, Yue Xin unleashed her Qi and the ropes fell apart like useless noodles. "You bad robber!"

"The heck?" Ace reeled back, swiftly getting back into his fighting stance without a single pause.

Sabo gaped, his hand tightening around his pipe. "I swear I tied her up properly!"

"It's not nice of you to take someone's possessions!"

And then Yue Xin proceeded to beat the two up.

Then she went to find Luffy and beat him up too when he refused to return her Vermillion.

* * *

The four lay down somewhere on a mossy forest floor, panting from the exhausting fight they just had. Even with the three brothers teaming up together, they had just barely managed to overpower the blood-crusted girl.

"You...you're good..." Sabo wheezed, his hand still around his trusty pipe. He wasn't letting go after he had seen the monstrous strength the girl possessed.

Vermillion was whizzing through the air happily. It had been observing the fight and it saw that Yue Xin had improved in combat.

Nothing made the sword happier than its master growing stronger.

And the fact that she had been grinning during the fight too.

"That— That thing, why can it fly around like that?" Ace followed the black sword with his eyes as he asked the question that had been bugging him; the sword actually _tried_ to stab his foot while he was distracted fighting against Yue Xin.

Yue Xin pondered for a moment. "Don't know. This sword was beside me when I woke up. She's special, I guess." She actually never gave much thought about it before.

Vermillion twirled proudly in the air.

"Hahaha!" Luffy laughed at something Vermillion said. He didn't translate for the three clueless others and continued a conversation of his own with the sword.

"That happened? HAHAHA! She's so funny!" Luffy clutched his stomach as he roared with laughter.

If the three others watching didn't know better, they might have classified Luffy as mentally unstable.

Vermillion seemed to have taken a liking to the strawhat boy, who was the first out of many to truly hear her voice. Her previous masters could only understand her intentions through their Blood Bond. Yue Xin had spent years growing up with the sword so she could understand the sword without a Bond. Her exceptional observational skills played a part as well.

"Then what about you? How are you able to stretch like...like rubber?" Yue Xin directed the question at the strawhat boy while searching for something on him that will give a clue to his weird ability. She had doubted her sanity when the boy called out "Gomu Gomu no Pistol" and a rubbery fist came flying and totally missed her.

"I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi! I'm a rubber human!" Luffy pulled at his cheeks to demonstrate his 'rubberiness'.

Yue Xin grimaced when his cheeks stretched beyond normal parameters. It was really, really weird. And a little creepy.

"What is this 'Gomu Gomu no Mi' thing?" She asked another question quickly to stop the boy from continuing his creepy demonstration.

"Shanks says it's a Devil Fruit! When you eat them— they taste _horrible_ by the way— you can gain mystery powers!" Luffy grinned at the thought of the red-haired pirate, but his features fell immediately when he spoke, "But now after eating the fruit I can't swim anymore."

"Nothing in the world is free after all." Yue Xin lamented, slowly crawling over to the boy's side. Ace and Sabo tensed up but Yue Xin ignored them.

She plopped down to the boy, feeling his arm with a hand. "Oooh. You feel weird too...like human skin mixed with rubber. So everything is rubber? Is your hair rubber?"

"My hair? Eh?" Luffy rolled a strand between his fingers, "I don't know why it's not rubber. But I know I cannot feel pain because I'm rubber."

"Pain?" Yue Xin was hooked. "Can I try something?"

"Go ahead!"

Ace and Sabo sat up, eyes trained on the strange girl.

Yue Xin pinched a little bit of flesh with her fingers on Luffy's forearm— and ruthlessly twisted it.

Ace and Sabo tripped over themselves from trying to get up, but stopped when they realised Luffy still had the big grin on his face. It had been months and they still couldn't get used to the fact that Luffy didn't feel pain.

Not that getting used to it would ever stop them from rushing over to check whether he's okay.

Yue Xin released Luffy's arm quickly, glancing at the two older brothers piled up together, hissing at the swollen bumps on their heads when they crashed into each other. She turned back to Luffy who was giggling at his clumsy brothers.

"No pain?" She asked.

"Yeap! None at all!"

"You're interesting." Yue Xin reflected his sunny grin back at him.

"You're strong and cool. And Wormmy too!"

Yue Xin raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Wormmy?"

"Yeah! Wormmy!" Luffy pointed at the black sword which shivered in disgust at the nickname. "Ver-Verylion is hard to pronounce, so I'm going to call her Wormmy!"

Vermillion cried internally at her name being butchered by the rubber boy while Yue Xin laughed. Vermillion whizzed through the air, lightly knocking on Luffy's head repeatedly with her pommel.

"Sorry, sorry!" Luffy giggled as he ran from the sword, hands on his head to protect his strawhat.

The two brothers had untangled themselves from each other while Luffy and Yue Xin talked. Ace glared at Yue Xin, "Why are you so strong even without your sword?"

"I— " Yue Xin almost blurted out the use of Qi. "Uh, I somehow can use this weird strength? It comes to me naturally."

"Why do you also speak with a weird accent?" Sabo

 _Too many questions_.

"I..." Yue Xin let her face crumple and her voice thicken again (she was surely going to screw up her tear glands with the frequent crocodile tears), "I really don't know! Stop asking me!"

An exasperated noise sounded from Ace. "You crybaby," he sneered, "You only know how to cry!"

Yue Xin sucked her tears back in at the insult. Her eyes were starting to hurt anyways. "I'm a crybaby that can beat you up, you barbarian."

Scoffing, Ace picked himself up from the ground, "I'll defeat you next time," he said as he coolly walked away. Sabo followed without a word.

Luffy waved a reluctant goodbye to Vermillion, who expressed her same reluctance by rubbing up against the little boy like an affectionate cat.

Yue Xin dusted herself off and trailed quietly behind the trio.

When Ace took three steps forwards, Yue Xin took three steps forward. When Ace stopped, she stopped too. Finally, after walking and stopping abruptly, Ace finally had enough and turned around, "Stop following us!"

"I don't know where else to go. Of course I'm following you guys."

"No you don't. Now piss off!"

Now this freckled punk was really getting on her nerves. She hadn't been feeling exactly nice and patient in light of recent events. "Aw, is your teeny weeny little self feeling hurt from losing? Who's the weaker one now? I'll punch you if you don't keep your mouth shut."

"Tch, you think I won't fight with you again? Let's do it!"

Poor little Ace's pride was indeed hurt. He had always prided himself on being the strongest of the three brothers— and stronger than most of the bandits under Dadan's wing. But a crybaby that looked younger (and probably is) than him popped out of nowhere and kicked him off his pedestal.

Ace charged at Yue Xin without warning, his pipe up and ready to break some bones.

Yue Xin smirked at the boy, dodging effortlessly.

 _Anger is clouding his senses. He's easier to read. A weakness._

But she wasn't going to tell him that— he was the enemy after all; it was never good to tip an enemy off on his own weakness.

Yue Xin let Ace wave his pipe for a few times more before she decided to end the fight quickly. "Vermillion."

The black sword shook off its happy puppy attitude at the command, a sharp intent emitting as it shot forward—

— _to aim for Ace's foot._

"Shit!" Sabo cursed when he realised Ace was going to get his foot speared through by the sword. Ace was blocked by a clever manoeuvre of Yue Xin's; he wouldn't dodge in time. Sabo lurched foward, skidding on the ground to knock the sword away.

Luffy stretched his rubber arms, yelling Ace's name as he tried to push him out of the way.

Before any of the two boys could get closer, Vermillion abruptly stopped an inch away from Ace's foot.

Ace sucked in a deep breath as chills ran from the foot that could have been stabbed through up his spine. The dangerous intent he felt from the sword was definitely not false; Vermillion really had the mind to stab him.

And she might have slashed his foot clean away from the rest of his body if Yue Xin hadn't stopped her.

Once Luffy confirmed that Ace's foot was fine and still attached, he frowned angrily at Yue Xin, "Why did you do that? You could have hurt Ace!"

Sabo wordlessly held his pipe, aimed at Yue Xin's head.

"We were fighting," Yue Xin stated clearly, "and at least I didn't let Vermillion stab you. She had been so keen to do it since before."

Ace regained his composure, gritting his teeth as he let the anger and shame of his obvious defeat wash over him. Losing to a brat like her was humiliating— but there was no way around it; he lost fair and square. In front of his younger brothers, Ace couldn't be the sore loser that blames his tools instead of accepting the outcome like a real man.

"She's right. It was a fight between us, everything was fair game." The freckled boy put a hand up to stop Sabo and Luffy.

Sabo lowered his pipe slowly, unkind eyes still fixed upon Yue Xin's nonchalant expression.

 _I had let my emotions take over. Bad move._

Yue Xin could feel the hostility jump at her from the three brothers. What had been a tolerant relationship became sour quickly. Yue Xin had been too high-strung recently; she was losing control of herself. A nugget of guilt settled in her stomach.

Yue Xin beckoned Vermillion over to her side. She bowed deeply together with the sword, arms at her side. "Sorry for letting Vermillion do that. I just wanted to scare you. I had no intentions of hurting you. Regardless, I still shouldn't have done that.

Luffy brightened immediately at the apology, bouncing over to pat Yue Xin on the back, "It's okay! No one got hurt in the end so all is good! And Vermillion, I won't talk to you anymore if you stab Ace's foot! Or Sabo's foot too! But you apologised too so it's fine!"

Only strawhat boy would be so nice as to forgive and forget. The other two had accepted her apology, but the dislike was still there and growing.

Yue Xin shrugged internally. _Not my problem. I'm leaving soon anyways._

She shot the three an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry for troubling you, I won't follow you guys anymore, but I hope that you could at least point me to the nearest body of water. I could use a drink."

"Water? Um...there's a river near Dadan's cottage!" Luffy offered.

"Dadan's cottage?"

Sabo took over, "Bandits. They are bandits. They have a cottage— " Sabo pointed eastwards, "— there. It's right under those tall palm trees. When you see the cottage, take a left turn and continue walking straight. The river is hard to miss."

Yue Xin's eyebrow quirked upwards. _They don't seem to be wary of them. They know the bandits? Close with them? Or because they know I'm strong so I'll be fine by myself?_

"Thank you." Yue Xin bowed again, giving Luffy a small wave before she started off. The two other brothers didn't get a wave from her.

The three watched silently until Yue Xin was gone from their sight.

Ace with his crossed arms and foot tapping impatiently, remarked, "She's weird. I don't like her."

A dark look crossed Sabo's face. "Was she acting weak the whole time?"

"I like her. And Vermillion." Luffy interjected.

The two brothers sighed deeply. Sabo ruffled Luffy's hair lovingly, "If you ever see her again just be careful alright?"

"Okay!"

Sabo and Ace wanted to melt at Luffy's complete trust in them. Whatever they said, Luffy always believed and followed them.

Maybe sometimes he didn't follow those instructions well, but he wouldn't be _their_ little brother if he did.

* * *

 **see you guys in October.**


	7. hAHA you thought it was an update toobad

Hello my lovely lovely twiglets :D

You might be thinking: _oMg I think this author is totally abandoning the story right? Not a single update and its almost the end of October!_

Well, my beloved piglets, I actually forgot I have another important exam in November.

So right now, I'm still working my butt off for this national exam.

" _OmG hoW cAn AutHoR-SaN foRgeT EXam dAtEs?..?"_

You'll be surprised that sometimes I don't even know which day and date I'm living in. I can forget my way home sometimes too...(even if I've walked that same path for years)

I'm sorry little fluffy dandelions, yall gonna have to wait till around the end november because right after my exam I'm flying off to another country.

It's not a holiday btw. I'm going there for work ;-;

k.

Bye. 


	8. The real CHApter 7

**You might have noticed that somehow along the way the pronoun I use for Vermillion changed from "it" to a "she". I actually didn't notice this myself at all AHHAHAHAHAHAHA**

 **I actually went back to reread some of the story because it has been quite some time since I touched it (basically i forgot what I actually wrote about), and realised in chapter 6 Vermillion somehow became female. Well, whatever, I'll just continue this. Treat it as Yue Xin being delusional and assigning a gender for Vermillion.**

* * *

 _Well, they were interesting. Interesting but rude._

She usually found other children boring, but she still liked to join in whenever they played games. Yue Xin also always avoided having conversations with them unless they talked about their training sessions and the new equipment they got. It was always interesting to share new techniques and show off their weapons. Normal conversations with their half-developed brains were not.

The three boys intrigued her on another level. Not to mention she was technically a foreigner and was curious about everything on this island, but because of the strength and mentality the three boys displayed. What made them different was the fact that they were living in a forest. A forest where the law was to kill or be killed.

Children in the Empire enter a forest for their first hunt when they reach 10; where they learn to be ruthless, and learn what it meant to _kill._ After last night's ambush by the big cats, Yue Xin had no doubt that the forest here was no less dangerous to people without Qi. Which means these 3 brats...

Yue Xin grinned.

Sabo was her favourite.

Sure, she did give only Luffy a small wave, but in her mind, Luffy was an innocent, sheltered idiot who had no capable brain cells. Yue Xin didn't like to talk to idiots, but it didn't hurt to be nice to one. The fact that he was living in the forest didn't get past her, but his sunshine smile and big, trusting eyes made her hard to believe that he wasn't retarded.

Yue Xin was confident that the boys had seen things that could make anyone lose faith in the world. If Luffy could still be so trusting, _so_ _open_ — then there could only be one conclusion.

Luffy was mentally disabled.

Yue Xin was a proud little lady (maybe even a little haughty) who found it a waste of time to talk to people who weren't on her level, but she didn't discriminate against people who were more dull-witted. If anything, she found them to be more genuine towards their feelings, and more kind-hearted than anyone else.

Children in the empire are blinded by the fierce competition between martial artists. The priority in everyone's lives was to train the hardest, obtain the most powerful weapons, and become the strongest martial artist of all. Competition began before they were even out of their mothers' wombs, people comparing bloodlines and Qi vein maps left and right.

Even young children schemed against each other in the Empire. It didn't happen often, but it wasn't that rare either. Yue Xin almost fell victim to one back in the Empire.

Luffy was a fool, yes, but fools wouldn't try to ruin someone's life by disabling their arm.

Sabo and Ace definitely had their wits around them. She wanted to learn more about the three. Ace obviously had more of a backstory than the other two. Yue Xin was itching to dig up the reason behind his blatant disgust and distrust for anyone other than Sabo and Luffy. Still, Ace's brashness and annoying glares didn't make Yue Xin like him at all.

Sabo was no less prickly than Ace, but he could control himself more than the freckled idiot no. 2. That placed Sabo high up on Yue Xin's list of "People around the same age as me that are worth talking to".

 _What right do I have to decide that?_

The small smile she had on her face faded as her footsteps slowed.

Vermillion who was ahead of Yue Xin slashing away the vegetation that blocked their route turned back to find her little master wordlessly staring at her own small, bloodied palms. The black sword flew back to Yue Xin, wiggling anxiously.

"It's nothing, Vermillion. Let's go."

Yue Xin clenched her fists, her fingernails marking deep crescent moons into her palms.

 _What right do I have when I'm the most useless of them all?_

* * *

The "cottage" in front of her was more of a rundown, messily extended single storey house than the cozy little home that Yue Xin had read about in stories. It was rather quiet given the time of the day; shouldn't they be already up and about? The sun was already beating down on her and her blood-clogged pores weren't breathing. The chirps of the summer crickets were deafening.

Yue Xin's eyebrows locked together when she felt a growing itch across her body.

She could try it with the bandits or run another who knows how many more miles to get to the river.

Yue Xin recalled Luffy's expression when Sabo had talked about the bandits.

Sabo specifically pointed out "bandits" to scare her off from approaching the cottage, but Luffy's doe eyes didn't hint at any hostile feelings when they were mentioned.

 _Alright then, bandits it is._

Yue Xin wrestled the unwilling Vermillion back into her black Pocket, eyes darkening for a split second as her finger brushed against the blue Pocket. She decided she would deal with it later and went up to knock on the front door.

Sleeping bandits stirred within the cottage, yawning sleepily as the knocking on the door grew louder.

"Who's it there...so early..." Dogra muttered sleepily, "Someone open...go door..."

Dogra kicked someone on the head, and the other bandit mumbled, "Who will even...knock...at a ban— "

Gasps echoed around the room as suddenly everyone was wide awake.

"G-G-Garp? H-He knocks...sometimes?"

Magra immediately wiped the drool off his chin and scrambled to the door, "Quick! Someone go get the Boss!"

There was chaos as everyone slapped the sleepiness out of their faces and straightened their postures.

The knocking grew more insistent and Magra's hand trembled at the doorknob. "Is the Boss awake yet?"

Dadan rolled down the stairs spectacularly just as he finished, her curly orange hair a tangled ball on her head, feet hastily stuffed into shoes. She wasted no time as she literally ran to the door, shouting, "Open it quick!"

Magra threw open the door, immediately kneeling down with Dadan and Magra by his side, "We're sorry for opening the door this late, Garp-san!"

Unexpectedly, there was no huge shadow looming over them, and the gruff voice they were so used to became a high-pitched one.

"Oh dear. Hello." Question marks popped from the young child's head as she greeted the kneeling three adults politely.

"G-Garp-san?! What— What happened to you?" The three chorused, rubbing at their eyes. Did Garp become a child?

"I think you may have mistaken me for this Garp-san." Yue Xin bowed, "I am...uh...I am not him."

A moment of uncomfortable silence ensued as the bandits and the child stared at each other.

"Who told me Garp was here?! Huh?!" Dadan rose to her full height, knocking the two bandits by her side with her iron fists. "Who the hell is this brat?!"

"W-We heard knocking and no one ever knocks on our door...and Garp sometimes does...so..." Magra winced when Dadan lifted her fist threateningly.

"I am terribly sorry for my intrusion. Sabo and the others told me to come here for help." Yue Xin beamed at the three, then quickly stopped when she remembered how terrifying the smile must have looked.

"Sabo?! The three rascals?! Those bastards— I'm going to kill them! Do they think I'm some kind of childcare centre, throwing children at me all the time! You! Go away! Shoo!" Dadan pointed off to a random direction.

Yue Xin suppressed her cringe when Dadan's flying spit smacked onto her face. She clasped her hands in front of her, unleashing puppy-dog eyes on the woman. "Pretty please? I just need some water to drink. I-I won't bother you anymore so can I please get a glass of water?"

Magra almost cooed at the big shining eyes of the little girl but caught himself. Where has his pride as a bandit gone to?!

Dogra was still reeling at the "please". No one was ever polite to bandits, it had been decades since he heard this phrase being used on him. Hearing it now made his heart flutter.

Dadan froze, but she bit down on her cigarette, letting the bitter taste of the tobacco bring her back to her senses. The large woman crossed her arms, glaring at the child, "No. Now move along."

"Then may I know where is the river?" Yue Xin still had her puppy-eyes twinkling in full force, while she discreetly used her senses to gauge the number of enemies within the cottage. She could tell that the three bandits in front of her had around the same fighting prowess as the three brothers.

Her senses caught on a few plumper looking ones sitting tentatively in the corner in the cottage, trying to peek a what was happening out at the door.

 _Ah. Not much exercise is there?_

And that meant that most of these bandits weren't as nimble as the three brothers. Possibly hadn't had a fight in a long while.

The three brothers had been an easy cake for her. She held back most of her power, showing only the bare minimum. If she had the heart to kill the three, they would have been dead before they even saw her.

 _Beat them up? Or the river?_

"The river? Good, go there. It's to the east." Dadan whirled to face the inside of the cottage, grabbing Dogra and Magra by their collars, "If you see the three brats again, tell them to come back— "

Yue Xin's eyes narrowed imperceptibly. _Longing? Affection?_

"— so I can beat them up for treating us like some goddamn refugee centre! We are bandits, not saints!"

The emotion Yue Xin had detected only lasted for a short moment before it was replaced by annoyance.

"Thank you, kind lady." Yue Xin gave the retreating back of the curly haired woman a big friendly smile, even though she couldn't see her.

Dadan jolted, " _K-Kind_? _Lady_? Don't bullshit me! I'm a bandit, get out before I sell you off to some pervy old men!" She slammed the door promptly in Yue Xin's face, but the little girl could still see the small blush that coloured the older woman's face.

Yue Xin couldn't help but giggle at the boss bandit's reaction. No woman was ever not conscious of their own looks.

Then the deadly rays of the sun reminded her that her trip to the river was overdue.

* * *

Yue Xin leapt into the water, clothes and all, a contented sigh escaping from her lips as cool water wrapped around her. She greedily drank from her cupped hands to pacify her parched throat.

The river water was very clear; she could see the way to the smooth pebbled rocks of the river bed.

And she could see all the fishes gathering around her as well, nipping at the soles of her feet and her exposed legs. It felt more ticklish than painful with their round mouths and teeny tiny teeth.

 _Haha. I'm so attractive._

Yue Xin laughed humorlessly at the small fishes trying their best to eat her. Was her Qi really that enticing? All the attention was flattering, but unwanted.

However, that also meant that larger, more dangerous ones would get lured here soon too. She couldn't stay for long. Her short trip to the river from the cottage already required her to kick a few snakes and a large bird-otter thing.

The little girl swiftly peeled off the stiff silk tunic off her body, hooking the collar on a jagged part of a rock beside her so it wouldn't get swept away by the current. The three drawstring pouches on her were slightly bloodied as well, so she washed them before balancing them on the rock.

She tried her best to touch the blue one as little as possible, going as far as using her Qi to hold it and scrub at it.

Yue Xin needed a safe place and time to open the blue pouch, as much as she hated the bastard.

After using her fingernails to scrape off stubborn dirt and blood from her skin, she then tackled her hair that was plaited into two loops by her head. Her hair unravelled, reaching all the way to her bottom. Churians believed that it was a blessing to receive a body from their parents, hence tampering with their natural appearance in any way was disrespectful. Cutting their hair was rarely done unless it got in the way of fighting, so the Churians' hair were always kept long, regardless of gender. Things like tattoos were only given to criminals, or only for when it signifies something that was as important as their lives.

 _Goa Kingdom...I don't remember any of such Kingdoms near the Empire...nor in the New World._

Yue Xin's eyes were still fixed on working the tangled knots out of her hair as she lifted a Qi-infused foot to stab an attacking crocodile's head.

The dead creature was thrown onto the river bank with a flick of her heel.

More food for her.

She chewed her lip in concentration, grabbing the blood-soaked silk tunic from the rock. Yue Xin dunked the tunic in the water, scrubbing at the stains vigorously.

The Teleportation Door; it could have sent her anywhere— or was it really a random chance? Could the _Wu Zun_ have decided her location when he completed the mandala circle for her?

If she wasn't in the New World anymore, how was she going to return? Could she draw a Teleportation Door back?

She glanced at the green pouch that contained the small paper scroll.

It was common sense to not return since she was wanted by the World Government and the upper echelons of Empire's governing system.

But she couldn't give two shits about that.

Her parents were waiting for her— waiting for their daughter to give them a proper burial.

She was certain that the Grand Masters wouldn't leave her parents' bodies lying around in the forest of _Lan Xian Mountains_ (兰仙山) for any martial artists to stumble upon. Her mother was the newly crowned _Wu Zun_ after all. Her sensational comeback ensured that there wasn't a single person in the whole Empire who didn't know her face.

Yue Xin and Mr Yue had kept a low profile and minimised contact with Mrs Yue during the Tournament to avoid prying eyes looking to use them as leverage against Mrs Yue. But she was sure by now the more powerful and influential clans and Sects have dug up the near buried records of her entire birth and Mr Yue's relationship with mother.

Hell, they might even know more about her and her parents than she knew herself.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a marlin-looking fish jumped at her face.

Yue Xin wanted to smack it away, but changed her mind and grabbed the flailing marlin-fish, throwing it up the river bank. It certainly looked more appetising than the ugly crocodile.

She quickly wore her clothes and tucked the three drawstring pouches back into her tunic. She was starting to attract more vicious things in the river. Someplace quiet was needed to let her spend her time roasting the fish and researching the paper scroll.

* * *

 **Mmm perhaps you guys have caught a reference to a what a certain yellow flower said in a certain game.**

 **And some of you might think: _WTF LUFFY ISNT MENTALLY DISABLED!1!11!_**

 **Well, I know that obviously. Yue Xin may be clever and smart and genius but she is young. And therefore hasn't had much chance in seeing the world, which means she hasn't seen a person who is truly mentally disabled. She's just categorising Luffy as one in her own mind because she doesn't know any better. In other words, she has never seen someone as naive as Luffy before, whom is very VERY out of the norm in the Empire. So in her (quite limited & inexperienced) standards, he is as good as mentally disabled. **

**Oh, and my exams are over, yay! I didn't do well (*cough*** ** _last in class_** ***COUGH* ) but thank you for all the supportive messages wishing me good luck in my exams. My teacher really wanted to strangle me when he passed me my result slip; I could see it in his eyes HAEHAHAHEHERH oh lord save me and my grades please**

 **(I have a few days before I leave, but when I post this, I'll most likely be overseas already.)**

 **What happened to the smart Asian stereotype...**


	9. Chapter no its not a chapter

This Qi system is not something I came up with. It's a genre of fantasy writing in Chinese books, called 武侠 (wu xia) / 修仙 (xiu xian)/ 仙侠 (xian xia). It's humans training to become a 仙 (xian) = celestial being/god. Basically becoming an immortal (beings with abnormally long lives, not the undead kind).

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU GUYS TO READ THIS GENRE OF BOOKS. They are extremely entertaining. There are many translations of these books online. There are also translated manhua of some of the more famous ones, you can find them with a google search. I don't know which websites to recommend since I don't read translations of them. But I know MangaRock has many of these translated manhua.

The Qi system I'm using in this fic is very, very watered down. There are many different types of systems out there, like systems with the five elements (金木水火土= metal, wood, water, fire, earth ), or systems that are based on some things like how strong a beast you can make a contract with. I just picked and chose stuff and modified it to fit the One Piece universe.

To get the true taste of a whole new fantasy world, y'all should find translations of these types of books. It's full of scheming and killing and romance and whatever you want to find. The systems you find will be more developed and different than the one in this fic.

I'm sorry I can't help you guys with any websites. Also I have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT TITLES TO RECOMMEND because I've been reading other genres lately and nothing comes to me right now.

Reddit is your best friend at these times.


	10. short cuz im having writers block

**Chinese swords are different from Japanese katana, please do not confuse them!**  
 **Chinese swords are called** ** _Jian_** **(剑** **), and they are STRAIGHT AND DOUBLE-EDGED. But actually there's no real shape defined for a** ** _Jian_** **, because a** ** _Jian_** **/sword can have different sizes and lengths (especially in this fantasy world). But the most common shape will be a slim, straight blade around the length of 70 cm.** ** _Jian_** **are handled with one arm. You can read more on Wikipedia since I am no expert on swords.**

 **Vermillion is a** ** _jian_** **. I would say she's a** ** _little_** **longer than 70 cm in my imagination. Maybe 73? What a weird number hahaha**

 **Wait I just realised I wrote Vermillion's pronoun as a "she" in chapter 4 as well. HaaAHHAHA would you look at that, I am**

 ** _so_** **amazing. I guess it was only me that thought I had been writing "it" the whole time. Okay, so I'm going to standardise this. Vermillion is going to be referred to as a "she" by the humans in this fic. But during narration, Ver is going to be a "it". Idk why just roll with it.**

* * *

She laid her tunics beside the fire to dry, wearing only her _zhong yi_ (中衣)*. It only took a single look at Vermillion before the sword reluctantly went to cut the fish up.

Vermillion threw a few of the fish guts in Yue Xin's way as a form of protest.

Yue Xin picked up a pebble with a sharp edge that would make some nice scratches on Vermillion's black metal body.

The intelligent black sword went back to work right away with ten times the effort. Vermillion was extremely scratch-resistant, but it hated the feeling of sharp things raking down its beautiful, polished body. There was always the fear of them leaving a scratch on its body.

Dappled sunlight shone through the emerald leaves, the heat of the afternoon sun intercepted by the tall crown of the trees. Yue Xin didn't venture that far from the river since her stomach was already grumbling. A hungry Yue Xin was an irritated Yue Xin, so they just plopped down on a shady spot and began roasting the marlin-fish.

The crackle of the fire and the chirping of the birds created a peaceful illusion.

Yue Xin could almost smell the spices her mother would always bring to a camping trip, which they would add to the meat they hunted for extra flavour. She could almost hear her father setting up their tent, sighing about some missing equipment he forgot to pack.

A hunt (which was always Yue Xin doing the work), then a scrumptious meal, then a few hours of training with her mother while her father read a book while lounging in a chair, or between the branches of a tree.

It was the familiar routine they always followed whenever they went on a camping trip.

Yue Xin opened her eyes to the smell of burning fish, and Vermillion hacking the blackened fish sticks away from the fire.

She stuck out her tongue at the black blade. "Oops."

Vermillion knocked Yue Xin on the head with the flat of its blade, pointing at the inedible fish like a disappointed mother.

"We've still got the crocodile. How about you get it?" Yue Xin looked cheekily at the sword, "I'm feeling kind of lazy."

The murderous glare Vermillion gave her almost burned a hole through her forehead. Yue Xin laughed sheepishly, "Just kidding, Vermillion."

Vermillion waved as if to say: _I'm not your damn servant you twerp._

"Hm? Really? You've been cutting meat f— OW! I'm just joking—I'm sorry!"

* * *

Yue Xin didn't expect to find three familiar faces roasting her crocodile.

The three boys only paused for a millisecond to recognise the clean and sparkling Yue Xin was the blood-soaked girl from their morning encounter.

"Wow! It's myftfefy gorl! And Worfy!" Luffy yelled with his mouth full.

Vermillion shivered in disgust at the nickname.

"That's my crocodile." Yue Xin pointed at the carcass that had only bones left. The rest of the meat was currently being inhaled by the three boys.

"Catch another on— Luffy! That was _mine_!" Ace screamed when the glistening piece of golden brown crocodile meat was snatched from his hands in his moment of carelessness.

Ace grabbed Luffy's retreating rubber hand, prying his fingers from the bone, "It's my last piece of meat— give it back!"

"Mmfm! No!"

 _So rubber powers are really useful in stealing food as well_ , Yue Xin concluded.

She had no choice but to catch another one. The little girl prodded over to the river bank and waited.

Sabo raised his head from the meat he was devouring. "You won't catch any waiting like— EH?!"

Two crocodiles leapt at Yue Xin, their maws open wide, eyes crazed at the enticing smell of Qi meat. Yue Xin lifted both Qi-infused arms and waited for the two crocodiles to come spearing themselves onto her small arms.

"There. I caught two."

The three boys' eyes almost popped out of their heads.

"EEEHHHHHH?"

"D-Did they just throw themselves at her?"

"The hell was that?

* * *

Yue Xin patted her full stomach.

Luffy couldn't even sit straight with his large round belly in the way.

"Man, that was hella crazy! I've never seen animals throwing themselves at people like that!" Ace gave a loud burp, which Yue Xin scowled at.

"Have some table manners, Freckle-face."

"Shut the f— "

"Woah, woah stop there!" Sabo skidded in between the two, "Let's not fight right after a meal."

"Hmph." Ace pulled back, crossing his arms indignantly.

"The animals. They seem to like me a lot," said Yue Xin as she turned to Sabo.

"I...guess so?"

Yue Xin shrugged.

Silence ensued.

Yue Xin could feel the awkward tension in the air. It was so thick it was choking her.

She caught a glimpse of the snoring Luffy.

 _Sigh._

"Uh— urm. Can I ask something?" Yue Xin broke the silence with a quiet whisper. "Is— is Luffy..."

"What?" Sabo and Ace leaned in closer.

Yue Xin searched for a way to make it sound less rude. "Uh...Is he, like, simple? Like...mentally disabled..."

She trailed off when she spotted the dangerous looks on the two older boys' faces. "I don't mean any offense! I'm just curious, because...because..."

"Actually..." Ace furrowed his brows.

"Actually...we..." Sabo's brows followed Ace's.

Yue Xin blanched at the dark looks on their faces. Was she being a busybody? "I mean— it's not something I should be prying into- uh it's fine- you don't need to tell- "

"We have never considered that possibility."

"That might actually explain Luffy being so... _Luffy._ "

"Huh?" Yue Xin put her flustered hands down.

"Let's ask Luffy. Easiest way to know." Ace took his trusty metal pipe and smashed it down on Luffy's inflated belly.

Yue Xin was starting to doubt that all her cautiousness in this subject was all for nothing. "But how would Luffy know- "

"Oi. Luffy. Wake up." Ace brought his pipe down one more time when the youngest of the three continued his thunderous snoring.

Luffy's snot bubble popped. He blinked blearily at Yue Xin's flabbergasted expression and the serious looks on his older brothers' faces. "Mmyeah? Is there more meat?"

"No, there's no meat, Luffy."

"Oka—zzzZZZZ..."

"DON'T GO BACK TO SLEEP!" Ace yelled.

Sabo moved to Luffy's side, shouting into his ear, "Luffy, we've got a question!"

Luffy barely managed to force his heavy eyelids open before mumbling an indistinct 'yeah'.

"Are you stupid?"

 _There. The million dollar question._

Ace, Sabo and Yue Xin waited expectantly for Luffy's answer.

Luffy scrunched his face up at the question. "You always say that when I do something wrong. Did I do something wrong?"

"Uh..no." Ace scratched at his head, "I mean are you like stupid _stupid?"_

Sabo translated Luffy's bewildered look for him, "He doesn't know what we're talking about."

 _Of course he doesn't!_

"Urm, it's okay, I don't need to know..." Yue Xin's voice was completely drowned out by Luffy's snoring that had begun again.

"I can't believe that we as older brothers have actually never thought about this..." Sabo sighed.

"Does it matter? Retarded or not, he's still our little brother," Ace declared with an air of absolute certainty.

 _Brothers_.

Yue Xin's flicked over Luffy's face. Black hair, brown eyes; similar to Ace's but completely different from Sabo's. Their facial features didn't even look remotely like each other.

The Empire of Churia had a custom where people could become sworn brothers or sisters with a wine ceremony. Each of them would drink a cup of wine and declare their brotherhood. This ceremony was only for close friends that had undergone trials and tribulations together, and emerged alive from the claws of Death himself. Becoming sworn brothers was not to be taken lightly.

 _Seems like this country has the same custom._

Did these three undergo the ceremony? Did they even understand the meaning of one? Did they mean so much to each other—so much that they wanted to become brothers?

 ** _"We may not be of biological blood, but the familial bonds between us can never be broken."_** Whitebeard's voice rang in her head.

 _Family._

"You three are brothers?" Yue Xin raised her voice over Luffy's loud snores.

Sabo and Ace turned back with beaming pride written all over their faces. Ace was _smiling_ for Heaven's sake—

"Yup! We exchanged sake cups, so we're brothers now!"

Yue Xin went 'oh', and turned back to the campfire in silence.

"What's with her? Why is she suddenly all moody?" Ace's smile slipped off his face when he spotted the bitter look Yue Xin had. "Does she have some problem with us being brothers? I'll punch her." He balled a fist threateningly.

Sabo's hand landed on his shoulder, "Stop it Ace, let's not waste our time on that weirdo."

Yue Xin couldn't summon any of her acting skills to give them a congratulatory smile when she saw the proud looks of the two older brothers.

Something curled in her stomach. The corner of her mouth turned down in distaste.

 _What is this?_

Yue Xin couldn't identify this feeling that left a bitter taste in her mouth, but at least now she knew better than to do anything deleterious to either of the three. It would guarantee an extra two furious and vengeful brothers on her heels.

A distant thumping of heavy feet and the screeching of birds disturbed from their perches brought Yue Xin back to reality.

"Luffy! Wake up! There's something coming towards us." Ace shouted, preparing for battle as he faced the shaking trees in the distance.

Luffy shot up immediately, taking a deep breath—and the bulging stomach disappeared in a blink of an eye. "I'm awake!"

Yue Xin blinked. _Did he just digest everything?_

"It's a bear." Ace recognized the ravenous roar of the animal.

"Another bear?" _It might be coming for me. No. It is coming because of me._

Yue Xin decided to leave immediately, "EXCUSE ME! I'll be taking my leave now! Don't worry about the bear! It won't attack you guys!"

"What? Won't attac— Hey! What are you talking about?! Come back!" Sabo yelled after the retreating figure of the young girl.

Yue Xin boosted herself with Qi and was metres away instantly, Vermillion right on her heels. She rounded to the left flank of the bear, away from the brothers and where wind blew her scent towards the bear.

She could see the shaking trees stop in confusion as the bear reconfirmed her location. A renewed growl shook the ground.

Back at the river, Ace watched the shaking trees veer off to their left.

"The bear?"

"It's targeting someone else. The girl." Sabo answered, a contemplative look on his face. Was this what she meant when she said that animals like her a lot?

Ace frowned. "For what? She's just one, and there's three of us here."

"Maybe she's tastier?" Luffy gave his opinion.

Unbeknownst to the three, he was actually spot on for once.

"How can she be any tastier than us? Doesn't make sense." Ace replied, looking a little miffed.

Sabo raised a finger, "Maybe girls taste bett— "

Another roar of anger in the distance interrupted Sabo while Ace threw the blond a 'Really, bro?' look.

"Should we help her?" Luffy asked worriedly, "I don't want mystery girl to get hurt."

"Nope. Why should we help her? We need to go find some oak trees to fix our house anyways." Ace began stamping out the dying campfire.

"She won't be hurt." Sabo paused. "Probably."

"Okay..." Luffy pouted.

* * *

Yue Xin glared at Vermillion when a bloody bear's eyeball came flying into her face.

"Vermillion." A warning.

The black sword stabbed itself into the dead bear's gut with more force than necessary.

"Okay, okay, I promise you, I'll get a new sword when we go back home. I won't use you for butchering meat anymore. Satisfied?" Yue Xin went up to her best friend and patted the hilt.

The sword gave a happy little vibration that made Yue Xin's lips curl into a small smile.

"We'll get home soon."

* * *

 ***Zhong yi (中衣）** **= The middle layer of tunics, the layer worn right after their underwear.**

 **You know, I always tell myself I should plan out a story before I write it, but it never works out that way...now I'm kind of going through the cycle of regret again (which is whenever** i **face a lack of ideas popping out)**


	11. Chapter 9

**Good god, I JUST REALISED THERE IS NO FRIGGIN TV IN THE OP UNIVERSE. Remember chapter 1 where our dear little Yue Xin was watching TV? I have changed it to a book on fairytales. I am such a useless author.**

* * *

"What the heck did you do to our traps? Get out."

"Nope."

"This is our secret base. Visitors are unwelcome."

"I want to know where I am."

"ARGH! You're so annoying! Sabo! Luffy! Say something!" Ace glared at the other two. Actually, it was only Sabo since Luffy was already gallivanting away with Vermillion.

"I don't remember anything but I should at least know where I currently am, right?" Yue Xin raised her brows at the stoic faces of Sabo and (more like pissed off face of) Ace.

"This is private property! Ever heard of trespassing?" Ace yelled back down to the little girl standing before their tree house.

"Then do I ask the trees and the flowers for information, huh, you ignorant barbarian?!" Yue Xin huffed, crossing her arms in front of her. "I just want to know what island I'm on! Telling me wouldn't kill you!"

Ace lunged forward but Sabo slapped a hand over Ace's mouth, blocking his angry retort. "If we tell you, you won't come back and keep sticking to us like some parasite right?"

Yue Xin rolled her eyes. _Parasite_. She just followed their traces back to their so-called 'secret base' ( _psh_ ) after hunting down the bear. Dodging and disarming all their traps was a pain in the butt. Dealing with the three brothers was also a pain in the butt. Once she knew more about this island she was on, she was getting out of here immediately.

"Yes, yes, I won't appear in front of you guys anymore. Just tell me what island I'm on, what is close around here, and about that Goa Kingdom Luffy said this morning."

"Okay. I'll go down. It's kinda hard to talk while yelling." Sabo turned around to drop down the rope ladder.

Ace gave another one of his 'Hmph!'s and climbed up to sit against the sill of the tree house window. Yue Xin ignored the barbarian up there, smiling at Sabo instead. "Thank you, I really appreciate your help."

"No need for that. The sooner you're gone, the better."

Sabo felt a pang of guilt when he spotted hurt flashing across the younger girl's eyes. It was gone when she blinked, but she kept her wavering smile up and countered, "I would love to get away from you three idiots as soon as possible too."

* * *

"I see. You are smart, Sabo." Yue Xin nodded her head at the crude map of locations Sabo had sketched on the dirt.

Sabo scratched his neck shyly. "Uh, thanks." He quickly pointed to a small square drawn on the dirt map, "This here is the entrance from Town Centre to High Town. High Town is where all the nobles are living..."

Yue Xin stole a glance at Sabo. Top hat, blue overcoat, a embellished belt that has lost its shine, a cravat and boots. Tattered as they were, Sabo's clothes were of finer material and obviously of different style than the simple t-shirts and shorts Ace and Luffy wore.

 _From the Kingdom? Edge Town? No. Town Centre? Or—_

"Hello? Are you listening?" Sabo squinted at the daydreaming girl. "Hello?"

"Yes, of course! I'm just wondering if I can find some information about...uh...about who I am and why I got sent here if I go to Goa Kingdom!"

"Okay..." Sabo's tone didn't hold much hope for Yue Xin.

"Thanks again. It's goodbye here then."

"Alright," Sabo stood up, "Good luck to you. Hope you will regain your memories soon."

Ace offered help from the windowsill, brandishing his pipe, "I can help you regain your memories now, if you want to!"

Yue Xin stuck a tongue out at Ace. "No thanks! Vermillion! Come back right now!"

The sentient sword came zooming in with Luffy right on its heels.

"Oh no! Is mystery girl and Wormmy leaving? Wormmy was telling me so many crazy and fun stories!" Luffy pouted.

Yue Xin spluttered. "Oh, that's great. W-What stories did Vermillion tell you?" She threw a worried glance at Vermillion, praying to the Heavens that the sentient sword hadn't outed her with its stories. The sword may have enough intellect to talk, but sometimes Vermillion could surprise her with its...naivety.

The pouting boy lightened up. "Wormmy told me that she came from the stars, and has 9 other siblings! Her other siblings are all someplace far away now, and she feels sad because she can't contact them!"

Yue Xin breathed a sigh of relief. At least Vermillion didn't talk about her identity. Then—

"Wait, what?! Vermillion, you have _siblings_?"

The black sword 'nodded'.

Yue Xin just stared incredulously at the sword. "Who are your siblings? Are they swords like you?" She hadn't heard an inkling about this from her mother, but it was not like Vermillion could talk about itself to her family either. Probably Vermillion had tried, but none of them understood.

Vermillion wiggled.

Luffy translated, "Wormmy says no. She says they are all different things, like her big brother is a...is a bell, her little brother is a stone, and her little sister...is a string-string thing?"

Hearing that, the black blade whirled around and whacked Luffy on the head.

"Sorry Wormmy! I don't know what is that!" Luffy yelled, pulling his straw hat down to save his poor head from being battered.

Yue Xin peeled her eyes away from her violent sword to fix them upon Sabo's baffled expression, "How does Luffy talk to Vermillion?"

"I have absolutely no idea." Sabo muttered, still staring at the sword and Luffy arguing about something.

"..." The little girl could feel the pregnant silence pressing down. She was supposed to leave now. It was the opportune moment wasn't it?

But Yue Xin just stood there, watching Luffy and Vermillion bicker, her feet rooted to the ground. She could feel Sabo's hesitation, wondering if he should chase the unwanted visitor (Yue Xin) away, or just stand silently like a piece of wood and give the sword and his little brother more time to fight over their...whatever their conversation was. She could also feel Ace's unkind gaze getting sharper the longer she stood there.

She had definitely overstayed her welcome (if there had been one at all). Yue Xin willed her rooted feet to pluck itself off the ground. It definitely wasn't because she didn't felt like leaving. Nope. Not at all. She needed to go home. Back to the Empire.

"Then, urm, I'll be going then." Yue Xin started walking backwards in a random direction, waving an awkward hand at Sabo.

"Uh, okay, goodbye?" Sabo raised a hesitant hand. "That's the wrong direction though..."

Yue Xin stopped herself, almost tripping on a branch. "I, uh, knew that!"

Sabo didn't comment further but doubt was written in blg block letters across his face. "Turn there— " He pointed with a helpful finger, "— to reach Goa Kingdom."

Yue Xin coughed, mumbling her thanks again. "Vermillion! Get back here! We're leaving!"

The sword gave a sad buzz to the rubber boy, floating back to its mistress who flicked it with a finger full of the embarrassment she was withholding within her.

"Oh no! Bye, Wormmy! See you again soon!" Luffy waved at the sword who was trying to say its last goodbye while chasing after its fleeing mistress.

"No, they are not seeing us again soon!" Sabo landed a fist upon Luffy's covered head, "She won't be coming back."

"But...but..."

"No buts."

* * *

Yue Xin didn't go to Goa Kingdom.

It was getting late. The setting sun was already colouring the blue sky with swathes of bold pinks and orange. She needed to sleep to get enough energy to think of a way home back. And a safe place that hungry animals at night wouldn't try to attack her and disturb her well-deserved rest.

Other than the three brothers' hideout, she considered Foosha Village- but even though it looked close to Mt. Corvo on the dirt-drawn map, she didn't know how far the actual distance was. It could take half a day for her to reach.

Yue Xin was hungry again. Tired too.

 _Dadan it is_.

The little girl stood up from the rock she had been sitting on. Bringing gifts while visiting someone else's home was etiquette (and for bribing them to let her stay the night). Yue Xin eyed the tall palm tree that was like a waypost of Dadan's cottage.

 _What would the old woman like? Flowers? Not enough. They have no real use for those things that would wilt in a day. What else? What else do they have use for?_

Yue Xin decided to look for some flowers first when a deep snarl sounded behind her.

She turned to find a pack of red-eyed wolves with antlers pawing the ground.

Her brown eyes glinted evilly, " _Ooh_. What great timing. You'll make a perfect gift, little doggies."

The wolves hesitated, red eyes showing uncertainty.

Yue Xin's grin grew wider.

* * *

"Goddamnit! WHO THE HELL IS KNOCKING AGAIN?! We're trying to pick straws here!"

"Someone go get the door!"

"That someone go hunt for dinner later too!"

A bandit sighed heavily, rubbing his growling stomach as he made his way to the door. It was always him who ended up hunting for dinner. "Who the fuck are— "

"Hello again."

The bandit stared blankly at the smiling little girl before him, her sweet apple cheeks working in tandem to charm the older man.

"I came back to say thank you to Miss Dadan for pointing me to the river," Yue Xin tilted her head in childish innocence, maximising her irresistible eye smile, "Will you call Miss Dadan out for me?"

"O-Okay..." The bandit sucked in a deep breath. Who was this polite, adorable angel in front of him? The aura she radiated was blinding him!

The bandit turned back to the cottage, "Boss! I-I think the little girl from this morning is here! She wants to talk to you!"

"TELL HER TO GO AWAY!" Came Dadan's reply from the inside.

Yue Xin stuck her head in the gap between the bandit and the door. "Miss Dadan! I've brought some food as well! It's my way of thanking you! Have you eaten dinner?"

The bandit by the door almost collapsed with happiness. No more hunting tonight!

"Food? What kind of food?" Dadan's large frame began to emerge from the depths of the cottage.

"I caught some wolves with antlers." Yue Xin grinned up at the woman. She could hear the growls of hunger from the empty stomachs of the bandits. "We can have dinner together! I have not had dinner as well!"

Dadan scanned Yue Xin suspiciously, seemingly having an internal battle of letting the little girl in or kicking her out.

Yue Xin caught on to her dilemma instantly. This was the perfect time to use her ultimate weapon!

The girl cast her eyes down in (fake) nervous expectation, pulling her hand out from behind her back.

Dadan's expression turned into confusion upon seeing the bunch of wildflowers in Yue Xin's hand.

"Urm...Miss Dadan, I saw these flowers on the way here and thought they would suit you very well. You are so kind, and these orange flowers match your beautiful hair colour as well, so I picked them for you. I-I hope you like it!" Yue Xin thrust the flowers in front of Dadan's nose, letting the aromatic smell of the wildflowers waft around her. Yue Xin peeked through her eyelashes to gauge the boss bandit's reaction.

It took a few seconds before an almost unnoticeable blush started to rise to the older woman's cheeks, her mouth opening and closing in astonishment. "Y-You..."

"Do you not like them, Miss Dadan...?" Yue Xin let her radiant smile droop, slowly lowering the flowers from Dadan's face as if she was going to throw them away.

"Y-You— idiot!" Dadan snatched the flowers from Yue Xin's small hands, "You dare give me these ugly flowers? They are useless things! The...The food you bring are just what we need!"

Dadan stormed into the cottage with said useless flowers still in hand. Her steps faltered when she realised her subordinates were all staring at her. "What are all of you looking at huh?! Get back to work! Skin those beasts that the little brat brought!" Dadan huffed, hastily evacuating to the privacy of her own room.

"Y-Yes Boss!" The bandits chorused, scrambling to heave in the pile of dead wolves-stags thrown in front of their cottage door by Yue Xin.

 _Yes!_ Yue Xin did a mental fist pump. Step 1 of ' _Luring Dadan into letting her stay the night (possibly many other nights) plan_ ' was a success!

She smoothly entered the doorway and into the hall of the cottage, bounding to the side of a bandit skinning one of the wolves. "I will help as well!"

' _Aww, what a kind angel!'_ The bandits cooed internally as Yue Xin shot everyone in the room a lovely smile.

"Hurry up and skin those beasts you morons!" Dadan yelled from her room.

"Yes Ma'am!"

* * *

Yue Xin screamed when the piece of meat she had finally gotten into her hands were stolen by a bandit frothing by the mouth. "Excuse me! I believe that was MINE!"

No one replied her as they made a dash for the remaining meat on the plate.

The little girl couldn't believe her eyes when dinner had started with another bandit biting his comrade's fingers off, the rest of them clawing each other for the meat like it was some prized national treasure. Curses and screams of anger flew around, together with cups and pieces of the precious meat.

 _Was this the culture in this country? Did every citizen eat like a pack of wild beasts?_

Yue Xin shuddered in horror, thinking of the death rates that would multiply in a day from every meal. She certainly needed to make a trip to Goa Kingdom to observe their eating habits there.

The door slammed open and three familiar voices announced their arrival.

"What the fuck?"

"They are starting dinner without us?"

"MEAT! MEATMEATMEAT— "

Luffy's voice got cut off when he sprung upon a flying piece of meat that happened to come his way.

 _Shit._ Yue Xin turned back to find the three annoying brothers right behind her.

"YOU! Why the hell are you here?!" Ace jabbed his finger at Yue Xin's face, "Weren't you supposed to be at Goa Kingdom?!"

"I..." Yue Xin pushed a bandit's fetid foot from her face, kicking another bandit's head away from the meat she secured moments before the three brothers had burst in, "Tomorrow! I'm going tom— ARGH! That's _MY ARM!_ STOP BITING ME!"

"ACE BROUGHT MORE MEAT IN! COOK IT!"

"MEAT?! WHERE?!"

"MY MEAT! OW! FUCK OFF!"

"MINE!MINE!MINE!MINE!"

"SHUT THE _HELL_ UP YOU BASTARDS!"

The hall dissolved into further chaos, engulfing the three brothers within.

* * *

"Every time we eat, this happens!" Dadan hollered at her men, hurling mops and buckets out from the closet. "Where are the three stupid brats?! Trying to run from cleaning duty again?!"

"I think they went to the bathroom to bathe," Yue Xin replied, "But I can help out with the cleaning since I made part of the mess too."

A cleaning rag was delivered into her hands instantly. Yue Xin blinked in surprise, then nodded her thanks to the bandit beside her.

Dadan stormed off to the bathroom to scream at the boys to help out after their bath while the others made quick work of cleaning the hall. Yue Xin rubbed at the grease stains on the wooden floorboards, digesting new information she gathered during the natural disaster of a dinner. She had threatened hungry bandits, dangling pieces of meat in front of their faces and refused to give them the meat unless they answered her questions.

Dadan was hard shell to crack on the outside, but she was a real softie in the inside. The bandit she had coerced with food disclosed that Dadan had started roasting meat with spices in order to entice the three boys back to eat with them. It was the most that Dadan could manage when the brothers were so hell bent on moving out. So the three now often came back with prey they hunted, and Dadan would whip up the meal with a generous dose of seasonings. The tsundere lady boss had also given herself a real good excuse: the dinner they brought back were just payments for using their bathroom to take warm baths.

Yue Xin smiled to herself. Dadan was so funny.

She surveyed the cottage. Water, electricity.

 _Who's paying for the bills?_

It was brightly lit and well-furnished for a cottage in the middle of a mountain. Bandits were never short of money; they could just rob the nearby villages, but the flab many of them wore around their waistline told Yue Xin that the Dadan Family hadn't seen much action in years.

 _Perhaps they sold some of the meat they caught?_

Yue Xin recalled that the crocodiles she caught had skins that would perhaps sell for a high price.

The three brothers tumbled out of the shower at that moment, giggling and shaking their wet, dripping hair to spray each other showers of droplets that still had a trace of warmth from their bath. Dadan who was caught in the crossfire yelled at the three, cursing them for ruining her cleaned floor, then began the routine of chasing the three demons around.

 _What a nice family._

They were bandits. Riff-raff. The three brothers were not of the same blood, nor were each of the bandits beside her, scrubbing away at the tea stains and picking up the itty-bitty pieces of meat.

 _Nothing in common, except..._

Yue Xin felt like she was intruding upon someone's home. The unknown feeling from that afternoon swelled up within her again, causing the girl to frown. Yue Xin squashed her ire down. _Not yet_...she would have time to think later once she secured permission to stay for the night. She looked at the bandits who were being thrown back into a disarray by the three idiots. Rags and mops flew around the hall this time.

A sudden realization smacked her right in the head together with a greasy piece of rag.

 _They are bandits!_ (A/N: Duh)

Bandits were lawless. They didn't care about permission when ransacking villages, nor had anything called manners! Yue Xin had wanted to ask _them_ for permission; what a joke! She had been upholding her taught manners at the wrong place and at the wrong time, and did not consider the situation she was in. Asking for permission held a risk of letting them reject her request, but Yue Xin didn't want to spend the night out. She needed a 100% chance of success. Which meant she didn't need to ask permission— she just needed to make sure they couldn't throw her out.

Feeling enlightened, Yue Xin picked the rag off her face and wiped her face clean with her sleeve. She then chose a clean corner, plopping down against the wall with her eyes closed. Filtering out the yelled curses and loud thumps, she steadied her breath and began her sleeping act.

 _Asleep, I'm asleep, I'm sleeping, sleeping, slee..._

And then Yue Xin fell into a deep sleep.


	12. To anyone who wants to read xiuxian genr

**To anyone interested in reading Wu Xia/ Xiu Xian/ Xian Xia genre of books, I remembered some of the more famous ones. I think there are english translations of them, at least the quick google search told me so.**  
 **  
** **The Legend of the Condor Heroes 《射雕英雄传》**  
 **An absolute classic. Not a single Chinese will not know of this series. It was (still is) so popular there's like a thousand remakes of this series into movies and television drama.**

 **The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber 《倚天屠龙记》**  
 **Another oldie, which also has many versions of television drama. Same author as The Legend of the Condor Heroes. His name is Jin Yong (金庸** **), and he has written many hit series. Go check him out.**

 **Zhu Xian 《诛仙》**  
 **One of the most famous web novels (and then published and even got its own television series) in this genre. Check it out here for a translation of it. Quality of translation not guaranteed since its fan-translated.**

(BEWARE! lazy reviews below because I am a lazy person.)

 **Ao Shi Jiu Chong Tian 《傲世九重天》**  
 **Hella good.**

 **Xian Ni《仙逆》**  
Mmm. I guess, Yes, Read it. (I havent read this, just basing off popular opinion)

 **Piao Miao Zhi Lu/ Piao Miao Zhi Lv《缥缈之旅》**  
 **The godfather of this genre who created this system from scratch. Almost every other book of Xiu Xian genre is based on or derived from the system used within this book. I don't know if there's a translation out there.**

 **Fan Ren Xiu Xian Zhuan《凡人修仙传》**  
 **Hell yes. Read it!**

 **Chang Sheng Jie《长生界》**  
 **Oh my god. You better read it or I will strangle you.**

 **W** **o Yu Feng Tian 《我欲封天》**  
 **It's popular.** **but I personally found it boring after reading 65% into the book. The main character just keeps getting powerups like Goku with no end in sight. But it feels really good when you read about him beating people up, so I guess I'll throw it here.**

 **Jiu Ding Ji 《九鼎记》**  
 **READ. IT.**

 **Xing Chen Bian《星辰变》**  
 **Author: 我吃西红柿，** **wrote Jiu Ding Ji as well. She's a great author.**

 **Xiu Zhen Liao Tian Qun《修真聊天群》**  
 **I love it. Hilarious! Love it.**

 **Dou Po Cang Qiong《斗破苍穹》**  
 **Its another popular series. Heard its good.**

k, getting lazy too lazy to write more.

 **Now most of this genre of books can be found online as many authors always write write it as a web novel, then if it's popular enough, it'll get published. Kind of like Wattpad.**  
 **Heheh, check out these authors as well:**  
 **Tang Qi Gong Zi (唐七公子** **)** **— her books have more romance than action, but its still damn good.**

 **Tang Jia San Shao (唐家三少** **)** **— his books have more action (less focused on romance). His books also have other Systems that are not really true to the Xiu Xian genre, but eh, its still magical fantasy.**

 **Er Gen (耳根** **)** **\- He likes power-ups. Alot. Wrote Wo Yu Feng Tian and Xian Ni. Personally I find his writing style a little bland but his works are still a fun read though.**

Of course, this list is not exhaustive, but I picked the most popular books (cuz they are popular for a reason). Its a good place to start.

AFTER READING ONE BOOK AND YOU LIKE IT, CHECK OUT THE AUTHOR BECAUSE THEY PROABLY WROTE MORE GOOD ONES  
 **My god, its getting so long. I think I need to stop, but there's a treasure trove out there waiting to be discovered by you, fellow readers! Xian Xia/ Xiu Xian genres typically have books with 2 to 4 volumesHAHAHAHA READ TILL YOU DROP DEAD**


	13. Chapter 10

Yue Xin awoke to loud thunder rumbling outside. Rain was already mercilessly pouring, the wooden cottage creaking in the strong gales of wind.

 _D-Did I fall asleep...?_

She rubbed her eyes, a yawn stretching her mouth open. The hall was dark, and—

Yue Xin stifled her scream by clamping down her jaw. A small squeak was all that came out.

 _Dead bodies._

The Churian girl closed her eyes to concentrate on sensing for life energy with her Willpower.

Willpower, was trained together with the Ling Qi (灵气) that flowed through her Qi veins. Ling Qi refers to the Qi that is within the atmosphere, where martial artists are able to absorb it and turn in into Qi energy to store within their Qi veins. This 'storing', is how martial artists train to higher Standards. 'Storing' Qi in special places within their Qi veins, can improve the strength of Qi veins and more importantly, penetrate through the blockages in their veins that would unlock the road to the next Standard. Imagine a fantasy RPG game; gathering enough EXP would level you up, and you would unlock more abilities, larger health bars and a larger pool of Mana. But to use any magic, you need Mana.

Mana in an RPG game would be somewhat equivalent to Willpower. Willpower is used to activate Qi for use, like guiding the Qi within their veins to their arms. It is also used for sensing and detection by throwing out a 'mental net' of your Willpower to cover your surroundings. At Yue Xin's Ninth Secondary Standard, she had a radius of 70 metres in a circle with her as the centre. Within her circle of Willpower, she could see a mental map of where everything and everyone was— their life energies, how Dadan was mumbling in her sleep at the room to her far right, the small colony of ants outside the cottage trying to prevent their anthill from being blown away. Although due to her low Standard, her vision of the things within her mental map were very pixelated (140p). Without Willpower, martial artists would be unable to use Qi for battle even as they could absorb and store it within their veins. However, to sustain a technique, it would depend on the martial artist's Qi deposit, only draining Willpower to control the Qi flow. Willpower is used differently in other careers. Battle-oriented martial artists do not specifically train Willpower, as it will increase with Standards. With a greater Standard, there will be a larger pool of Willpower for martial artists to activate their Qi techniques. Instead, martial artists focus on developing Qi techniques and methods of using Qi in battle. Alchemists and Talisman Alchemists undergo special training with Willpower so they can concoct Pills, brew potions and draw Talismans that will be useful in battle or training. They do not specialise in battle with Qi, but have more Willpower and control over their Willpower than martial artists.

If the word "Willpower" hasn't tipped you off, it is what the rest of the world knows as: Haki.

She let a breath out she didn't known she was holding when she could feel the abundant life energy within the "dead bodies" littering the ground. Lightning flashed outside the covered windows, lending Yue Xin the few seconds of light where she could make out the outline of a snoring bandit not far away from her.

 _Do they sleep like this every night?...Or not._

Because Yue Xin could sense three very familiar bundles of energy in a room above her.

The little girl closed her eyes again, reaching out with her senses.

The trio had more life energy than anyone Yue Xin had sensed before. They reminded her of cockroaches which wouldn't die no matter how many times she slapped them with her shoe.

She silently memorized the signature of the three energies. Each person's life energy has its unique signature, be it the feel it gave the Qi user, or the colour that the Qi user 'sees' with their Willpower senses. Martial artists also have their own unique Qi signature. During battle, it can be handy to tell the position of party members without having to look. It is also used for scouting to detect any enemies' unfamiliar Qi signature or life energy. Of course, to make ambushes and stealth missions work, Churian Alchemists have developed Concealment Pills and Concealment Talismans since the ancient times to conceal any life energy or Qi energy from detection. Concealment can be done without the help of any pills or talisman, but it requires precise and powerful control over one's Qi. In the Empire, it was said that only the eldest of the 12 Grand Masters could accomplish this feat.

Ace's life energy signature was unsurprisingly like a fire. If Yue Xin had to assign colours, it would be an incredible mix of reds and golds. Captivating, but dangerous. Sabo's was an icy blue that gave her the impression of a unrelenting blizzard on a Winter island, although it wasn't as cold as it looked. An occasional flash of a warmer current of turquoise would stick out from the expanse of blue, coursing through the map of his veins. Yue Xin directed her senses to Luffy, half expecting him to be green to complete the set of primary colours— but was hit in the face with a vivacious yellow that bordered on the line of being obnoxious.

Yue Xin felt like she was going blind.

She couldn't see a thing— not even the faint outline of his veins that she saw from Ace and Sabo— _just yellow_. There wasn't even a need to memorise Luffy's life energy signature. Anywhere he went, Yue Xin was sure that she would be able to sense him a mile away.

Which brought Yue Xin back to the topic of _'why would the three brothers sleep here when they have a house of their own_ '.

A ear-splitting roar of thunder answered her question. The unexpected thunderstorm must have stranded the three boys in the cottage.

Yue Xin sat in the dark, sifting out the snores of the bandits from the deafening rain. She was still tired, but the thunderstorm wasn't letting her sleep.

When she hadn't understood that lightning and thunder were part and parcel of rainstorms, she used to crawl under the covers of her parent's bed to hide from the angry Thunder God. Her mother would always come up with elaborate stories on why the Thunder God was angry. Perhaps someone had broken his oath to the Thunder God and hence was currently receiving his punishment by being struck by lightning. Or perhaps he was having a fight with his wife, and in the heat of anger he unknowingly brought thunderstorms down on the mortal world.

Her father would then point out inconsistencies in her mother's tales, and convince Yue Xin to not be afraid of the Thunder God as he would never punish a well-behaved child like her. The child never bothered to tell her father all the mischievous things she had done behind their backs.

Yue Xin rubbed at the well-worn surface of the wooden floorboards with her thumb. She missed the warmth of the bed, the warmth her parents would radiate when she was snugly tucked in between them.

All that wrapped around her now was the cold wind that leaked through the cracks of the wooden planks. She hadn't felt cold in a very long time since her body resistance to elements had increased together with her Standard.

Yue Xin ignored her stinging eyes, and scanned the room of bandits for a blanket. With Qi, she could see everything as if it were daylight. Not all the bandits had blankets, and there were at least 3 fighting over each blanket in their sleep. The more unfortunate ones cuddled together for warmth like penguins. Yue Xin couldn't bear to filch a blanket off the bandits scuffling in their sleep.

She turned back to look at the ladder leading to the small room above her.

Her mother had said not to get too close with boys— let alone sleep with them in the same room. In the Empire, minimal physical contact came between the two sexes. When Ace and Luffy had been so happily rooting around her tunic for any loot, that certain action in the Empire would have guaranteed her a marriage to either of the boys.

 _Probably Ace. 'Cuz he touched me first_. Yue Xin's expression twisted into one of disdain.

Regardless, the little girl climbed up the ladder and crawled through the small doorway. The wind howled, accompaniment to the sound of creaking floorboards as she tiptoed past the three boys.

A corner of Sabo's blanket managed to cover his torso partly, his pillow squashed under an arm and another leg over Ace. The freckled boy sandwiched in the middle had a large snot bubble as he snored away, unaware of Luffy's head that was somehow nestled under his armpit. Yue Xin picked up Ace's pillow that had been thrown to a far corner and dragged Luffy's abandoned blanket off their bedspread.

None of them stirred as she made herself comfortable at a corner where lesser wind whistled through the gaps of the wooden cottage. Yue Xin let herself relax in the dark. She hadn't done her daily reflection nor looked at the scroll, but she wasn't particularly feeling it.

She convinced herself that she was too tired to think about the unpleasant feeling she experienced twice today. Not avoiding, just...tired.

Yue Xin distracted herself by watching Luffy squeeze closer to Ace in the quest for warmth, the little boy almost sprawled completely on top of him. She wondered what it must be like to have siblings. Would her little brother or little sister be Iike her? The Churian girl had known that she was different the moment her she was _aware_ (which was probably much earlier than other babies). Her mother had remarked that other babies cried for milk and hugs while she preferred to play with her toys alone, only occasionally screaming (unintelligibly) for her mother when she was hungry.

Yue Xin never told her parents that she badly wanted to fit into the circle of children who behaved so differently from her. She tried, but couldn't. She was still trying to this day, with her fake smiles and sweet words that she practiced countless times in front of her mirror in her little room.

Though, excluding the first 10 minutes she had spent acting weak in front of the brother trio, she had honest interactions with them afterwards. It felt good to throw some insults around without maintaining a friendly smile and a soft, sweet tone. Of course, her favourite part was beating the three of them up.

If she had a little sibling, she hoped that they wouldn't be like her.

A wistful smile graced her lips as Yue Xin pulled the blanket tighter around her.

 _But it's too late anyways._

The smile curved downwards.

Yue Xin finally recognized jealousy as it reared its ugly head once again.

* * *

Her surroundings were achingly familiar. Her favourite book of fairytales was open in her lap, her teddy bear in the crook of her arm. The wooden table in front of her, groaning with the weight of plates and plates of juicy shrimp.

Her mother, with her long sleeves rolled up and an apron across her tunic, pulled out a chair, "Xin Er! Dinner!"

Her father raised his head from tending to his plot of herbs, dusting dirt off his hands. "Only shrimp today?" His excellent eyesight could look past walls, let alone through the open window that his plot was right by.

"It's Xin Er's birthday after all. She's 5 already..." Mrs Yue looked at her beloved daughter who was already making her way to the table. "Time passes so quickly..."

Mr Yue stepped through the front door, a quick hand sign cleaning him of any dirt and sweat that clung to him.

Yue Xin was already gorging herself on the plates and plates of shrimp. All these shrimp were the from the recent camping trip, the result of hours spent in the river digging her hand into the sandy riverbed and flipping rocks. Her mother always told her: _If you want something, you better get it yourself because I'm not going to do it for you._ (Except for the delicious Qi Beasts that her mother would always hunt for her instead, because Mrs Yue would get too anxious about her getting hurt even though she could handle it.)

So she had spent half of the camping trip camping by the river to catch shrimps.

And now they were right in front of her, looking pink and juicy.

"Chew your food slowly! Don't choke!" Mrs Yue chided when her daughter started to use her Qi to send shrimp from plates she couldn't reach with her grubby hands— right into her already full mouth. "Eat properly!"

Yue Xin was reveling in the sweet taste of shrimp when a tall figure appeared at the door silently. Who dared to interrupt her feast? She hadn't sensed him until he had shown himself— and judging by the look of shock on her parents' faces, they hadn't either.

The moonlight was shining from behind the mysterious figure, so his face was enveloped in shadow. Yue Xin's gut instinct immediately told her that she disliked the man.

"I had hoped that you might be the first to actually escape."

Unease crawled in her stomach as Yue Xin looked between the shadowy figure and the horror on her mother's face. "Mother?"

"I gave you two extra days from the first."

Their house, the plates of shrimps— they were fading into something else.

Smells of the forest and green replaced them.

 _No._

Yue Xin recognized the place. Dread now joined her unease.

"I'm sorry." The _Wu Zun_ apologised.

She couldn't move, frozen like a deer in headlights, her emotions raging through her. Panic, pain, anger.

The _Wu Zun_ moved so fast she couldn't see except for a blur— his sword slicing down, splitting her father in half. Blood sprayed into the air, splattering Yue Xin's tunic with her father's warm blood.

Yue Xin still couldn't move her feet, her wide eyes fixed on her father's face. Split in half. Perfectly down the middle.

His eyes held all the love and regret in the world, words that he couldn't say before the _Wu Zun_ had ruthlessly cut him down.

Then a choked scream drew Yue Xin's eyes from the corpse of her father to her mother.

The _Wu Zun_ separated her mother's head from her body with a swift stroke.

The heavy thud of her body, the sound of grass flattening under her mother's rolling head.

Time came to a standstill.

Then Yue Xin burst forward, her body coated in Qi, a strong punch to the _Wu Zun's_ face. The _Wu Zun_ held up a shield of Qi, letting the little girl rain down her punches on the shield. His gilded mask obscured his face, but she _saw_ his contrite expression.

"What did you do?! Give them _back_!" Yue Xin screamed, "I hate you! I hate you! I HATE YOU!"

The sorrowful look on the Wu Zun's face deepened.

"You ugly, disgusting bastard! GIVE THEM BACK NOW!" The little girl kicked and punched to no avail. The Qi shield was too strong. The _Wu Zun_ was too strong. "I WANT THEM BACK! _I WANT THEM BACK_!"

Yue Xin's fury only grew when the _Wu Zun_ said nothing. Her moves had no effect on him. She couldn't hurt him— but she would never stop trying. " _I'll kill you! I'm going to—_ "

"Hey! Wake up!"

A cold hand slapped her cheeks.

"WAKE UP!"

" _I'LL KILL— "_ Yue Xin opened her eyes, her scream dying down when she took in sight of her surroundings.

Sabo relaxed his hold on her arms when he saw that she had awoken. Luffy for some reason, was groaning in the far corner of the room, a hand on his stomach. Ace frowned at her, his hand prepared for another slap to the cheek.

Something was dripping down on her. Not only her tears, but a large gash in the ceiling was letting the rain pour down on her. Similar gashes were in the walls and the floor. Rain and wind were getting in through the very noticeable gaps.

"Oww...that hurt!" Luffy whined from the corner.

"Hurt? But— you're rubber!" Sabo looked back to check that Yue Xin wouldn't go on another rampage before dropping her arms and rushing over to his (more important) little brother.

The smell of wet rotting wood and unwashed blankets washed over her. Images of her parents' maimed corpses and the _Wu Zun's_ detestable mask faded from view.

 _Not the Lan Xian jungle...Goa Kingdom...Dadan's cottage._

"Look at the shit you did, fucking idiot." Ace pointed at holes around the room. "What kind of nightmare did you fucking have? You even hit Luffy."

Yue Xin blinked, retracting the Qi that she had unknowingly coated herself in. "I...I'm sorry." She was still reeling from the nightmare.

Ace crossed his arms, the sour look on his face was enough to make a grape wrinkle.

"...I'll fix the holes." Yue Xin forced her brain to turn and accept her current reality as she scratched simple mandala circles around the large gashes she had created. Running her Qi through the circle activated a Qi shield that blocked the rain and wind from making its way in.

Ace didn't comment on how mysterious circles, and went to find Luffy instead.

Yue Xin guiltily shuffled over when she had patched up all the holes. She must have hit Luffy when they were trying to stop her from destroying the whole cottage in her nightmare. "Are you hurt badly? I'm really, _really_ sorry. I..." She trailed off when Luffy gave her a smile.

"I'm fine! I just got a bruise!" Luffy pulled up his shirt to show her a nasty-looking bruise. Yue Xin cringed. "But it's so weird that your punches are like Grandpa's...they hurt." Luffy shot Yue Xin a weird look. Grandpa called his punches 'Fist of Love', so maybe mystery girl loves him? That must be why her punches hurt.

"I figured it all out!" Luffy brought his rubber fist down on his palm, a proud smile lighting up his face, "Mystery girl loves me! I love you too, mystery girl! But I don't want to become a Marine, I'm going to be the Pirate King!"

Ace: ?

"Luffy, are you okay? Did you get hit in the head?" Concerned, Sabo ran a hand across Luffy's head, but didn't feel any bumps nor blood.

Yue Xin didn't know what made Luffy's declaration of love to a stranger so cute, but it warmed her heart all the same. The nugget of fear and unease from the nightmare dissipated. A sigh followed Yue Xin's relaxing shoulders. "Thank you, Luffy."

Jealous-Ace karate-chopped down on Luffy's head, " _Hmph_!"

"Ace~" Luffy whimpered.

Yue Xin thought she could at least tell them a few things. For all the trouble that she brought, and partly because of Luffy's affections, they should at least know her name. "I...I remembered some things. From my nightmare."

"Like wanting to kill somebody?" Still-Jealous-Ace picked the "best topic" to mess with the Girl-who-stole-a-piece-of-Luffy's-love.

Yue Xin didn't deny it. If Freckled Cockroach was trying to get a reaction out of her by mentioning the nightmare, then she was going to piss him off with all the patience in the world.

"Urm...other than that. I wanted to tell you my name. It's Yue Xin."

"Where...sing? Huh, that's a weird name," Sabo tried pronouncing a few more times, "Yure Sing...Yue Sing?"

"Mystery girl!" Luffy immediately gave up on her name.

"Whatever, _parasite."_ Ace scoffed.

"Oh Ace, I know you have trouble differentiating 'parasite' and 'Yue Xin' with your empty head, but don't be sad! I'll teach you. Here, try again! _Yu. Eh. Xi. In_. " Her eyes twinkled in amusement as she enunciated her name (mockingly) slowly.

The short-tempered boy shot her a look, "What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you smiling?"

"I'm in a mood to make friends, Ace-kun!" Yue Xin stuck out her tongue at the older boy— and winked.

"Don't call me that!" Ace looked like he didn't know whether to run or fight.

" _Ace-kun~_ " Yue Xin called in a sickeningly sweet tone, laughing when Ace's expression blackened further. Sabo and Luffy chuckled at Ace's distress. This might become her favourite past-time.

"Stop it! I-I'm going to kick your ass!"

"Oh~ don't be so violent towards a girl, Ace-kun!"

"HAHAHAHAH ACE! LOOK AT YOUR FACE! HAHAHAHAH!"

Telling them her name lifted an unknown weight from her chest. They weren't on the best of terms now, but at least...

 _...she wasn't alone._


	14. jyuuichi

**Readers (you): fOcKIn auThOR doESNt fOCkIN updATE**  
 **Me: *comes up with ten thousand reasons why but the real reason is author hasn't been planning her story so she is lost***

* * *

 _ **BREAKING NEWS**_  
 **I believe I have accidentally created a new Qi system entirely. It's a VERY straightforward system compared to other systems, but as long as its understood by you my dear carrot tomato readers strawberry whom I believe are mostly readers from English-speaking countries its good for me (and you).**

* * *

Dadan squinted her eyes. She didn't remember having holes in her cottage. The large holes in the three brats' room had strange, wonky circles drawn over them with a slightly shimmering, yet transparent barrier of air blocking out the elements.

Morning sunlight shone through, bathing the room in a golden hue.

"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?! WHERE ARE THE FOUR BRATS?"

A mosquito which had been resting on one of the Qi barriers buzzed off at the noise.

* * *

"Aren't you going to Goa Kingdom? Quit hanging around us!" The freckled boy lost count of how many times he had repeated the same line.

"We should at least enjoy breakfast together first, shouldn't we, Ace _-kun?"_ Yue Xin hummed in quiet pleasure as Ace blanched in disgust at the suffix. He threw up a little every time the younger girl muttered his name with obviously fake sweetness.

He couldn't beat her up because— he can't win.

"What should we eat for breakfast? How about some shrimps? Are there shrimps in the river?" Yue Xin bounced around the three. She was in an awfully good mood. Seeing how bothered Ace was made her day 10 times better.

"Noooo, I want meat!" Luffy protested.

"Shrimps are meat! Have you tasted them before?" Yue Xin started petting Luffy on the head. He was so cute, she couldn't resist.

"I don't know what—stop it—" Luffy wriggled out from under Yue Xin's petting hand, "—they are, but are they delicious?"

Yue Xin retracted her hand. "Mmm! They have this sweetness to them, and this tangy taste that complements their freshness. You should try one! We could look in the river for some!

"Right?" She turned to Sabo and Ace beseechingly.

Sabo sweatdropped, "Yes...?"

Ace wanted to say no, but his stomach was saying otherwise. Shrimp...he never tried it before...was it as delicious as the Parasite said?

"Let's go!" Yue Xin grabbed Luffy's hand (still can't get used to the rubbery feeling) and shot off with Qi, Luffy screaming his head off with the sudden burst of speed. His startled screams became screams of joy soon enough.

"Wahahahah..." Yue Xin's laughter joined Luffy's, fading into the distance.

"Was that girl always so bubbly?" Sabo straightened his top hat which had been blown aslant by Yue Xin's rush of happiness. Ace picked up Luffy's hat that was similarly forsaken by its owner, "She's crazy. Smiling at me, calling me _'Ace-kun~_ '..." He suppressed the urge to puke in his mouth.

"Heheh! Ace-kun~" Sabo teased.

"You! Stop calling me that or I'll kick you!" Ace threatened.

" _Ace-kun~"_ Sabo threw down the gauntlet and dashed off after the pair, "Bwahahaha! Kick me if you can!"

" _STOP RIGHT THERE SABO—_ "

* * *

Yue Xin had never felt like this before.

She didn't know what was wrong with her, being so energetic and all— it was unfamiliar, but it felt good, so it didn't matter.

"We're here!" She skidded to a stop by the riverbank, taking care to plop Luffy down upright. Twigs and leaves decorated the rubber boy who was being flown like a kite behind Yue Xin during the ride.

" _Shishishi!_ It was FUN! Let's do it again!" Luffy giggled, shaking his hair vigorously to remove the twigs.

"Later. For now, let's get some shrimps." Yue Xin untied her two outer layer of tunics and placed them on a log far away from the riverbank where it wouldn't get wet. She jumped into the river with her _zhong yi_ (the last layer of tunic) and rolled up her sleeves. She activated her Willpower, concentrating Qi into her eyes at the same time.

 _You can't escape my eyes, my shrimps!_ Yue Xin gave a triumphant laugh as she flipped over a rock on the riverbed, hand darting out at inhuman speeds to snag the scattering shrimps and throw them onto the dry riverbank.

"Woah!" Luffy's eyes sparkled at the rain of shrimps as Yue Xin unleashed her Qi on the poor creatures. "You're so fast!"

Then Luffy habitually tried to tilt the straw hat out of his eyes to get a better view— and cried out in horror when he couldn't feel the worn straw under his fingers. "M-My hat! It's gone!"

Among the flying droplets of water, Yue Xin stuck her hand under another rock. "Don't worry, it probably fell when we were on the way here..." She extended her the edge of her Willpower to her maximum of 70 metres, "...I can't see it anywhere near, but we'll look for it later."

"I want to look for my hat now...I can't lose it! Shanks will be disappointed!"

"Is it that important to you?" Yue Xin had decimated the population of shrimps during the short conversation. She climbed back up to the riverbank, squeezing water out of her _zhong yi._ "It's just a straw hat. I can make one for you if its gone."

"NO!"

Yue Xin jumped at the vehement reply.

"It won't be the same hat," Luffy clenched his fists at the memory of something, determination set in the round lines of his face. "I need to return the hat to Shanks when I become a great pirate! I'll become the King of the Pirates!"

The little girl recalled him making the same profession last night. "Pirate King, huh." She had done her fair share of research after meeting with the Whitebeard Pirates. One Piece, the rumoured treasure of Gold Roger that sparked the Great Age of Piracy. She suddenly felt the need to defend her favourite blond pirate. "Hmph! Sir Whitebeard will become the Pirate King before you! He's already a Yonko now!"

"Who's that?"

"A powerful man who can squash you under his fist within seconds! He's the 'Man Closest to One Piece'." Yue Xin beamed at the memory of the old man's earth-quaking laughter.

"I don't care, I'm going to be the Pirate King!" Steam billowed out of Luffy's nose as he declared his dream for the umpteenth time.

"Okay, okay." Yue Xin knew this was going nowhere, "Let's cook these shrimps. I'll ask Vermillion to look for your hat, okay?"

She tapped used her Qi to unlock the black Pocket which was nestled inside her _zhong yi_. She still hadn't found time to look at the scroll on Teleportation Doors like she originally planned to last night.

 _After breakfast! I'll leave after breakfast!_

Yue Xin was convincing herself all over again.

The black sword clanked onto the forest floor as it appeared, and then shot up in joy. Free!

"Vermillion. Go look for Luffy's straw hat. You remember the way from the cottage to the river? Just find along that path." Yue Xin grabbed the blood red tassel hanging from Vermillion's pommel before it could shoot off to play with the rubbery boy.

Vermillion trilled indignantly. _Treating me like a goddamn servant again, huh?!_ — was what Yue Xin interpreted.

The sword sent flying attacks into the tree Yue Xin was standing under, showering her with leaves and twigs before it whizzed off to find the hat.

Luffy had an expression that spelled 'I feel bad for Vermillion being treated like this' written across his face. Then it morphed into confusion as he muttered his question out loud, "Where did Wormmy appear from?"

Yue Xin pretended she didn't hear that.

The shrimps were already half-cooked when Vermillion returned with two rowdy boys on its heels.

"Oooh, already caught the shrimps?" Sabo's gap-toothed smile lit up his face as he hurried to the fireside, like he was avoiding someone.

The same 'someone' who gave him his black eye.

Yue Xin sent inquisitive looks at Sabo's bruised eye as she chewed on a roasted shrimp. Ace joined in the group with a ripped shirt, one sleeve torn off completely. She shook her head disappointingly at the freckled boy, which earned her a glower from Ace.

"My hat!" Luffy grabbed the straw hat from his big brother and jammed it down on his head, "Thanks, Ace. Di— "

A panicked noise from Yue Xin interrupted Luffy.

She spit out the shrimp, one hand covering her mouth as she stared at the trio in abject horror.

"Poison?!" Sabo yelled when he saw the blood drain out of Yue Xin's face.

"N-No...my...my..."

Unknowingly, the three brothers had started giving a shit about Yue Xin (as much as they would deny it).

"My tooth..." Tears welled up in the little girl's eyes. Real tears, mind you. She slowly lowered her hand to push a tentative finger against her front tooth.

It wobbled.

Like jelly.

Her tears threatened to spill.

This wasn't the first time that her teeth had fallen out, but she had her mother use Qi to remove them quickly and painlessly. Yue Xin didn't know what to do with wobbly teeth herself. She couldn't just continue eating her shrimp and hope for the best. It hurt every time she bit down on the soft flesh.

And it seriously scared her to do anything to it. There was something inherently terrifying about plucking it out herself. Perhaps it was the way she kept imagining the ligaments that held her tooth in place stretching, thinning and snapping like frayed rope when she pulled on it. The imagery just gave her the shivers thinking about it.

"W-What do I do...?" Yue Xin muffled question came through the fingers clamped across her mouth.

Ace, having lived 3 more years than Yue Xin, had his fair share of teeth dropping. He picked up his pipe, an evil glint in his eyes. "Don't worry, we just need to pluck it out right? Here, I'll help you..." The pipe came closer to Yue Xin's mouth.

"No!" Horror filled Yue Xin's eyes as she pushed his pipe away with her other hand. Just imagining Freckled Cockroach knocking her tooth— maybe even _all_ her teeth— brought a fresh wave of tears.

"Just grab it and pull! I always do that! It works!" Luffy opened his mouth to show Yue Xin a gap in the bottom row of small teeth.

Yue Xin leveled Luffy with a gaze that made him close his mouth with a snap.

"I— I'm just going to let it drop by itself." She picked up another shrimp and bit down. Pain shot through her gums. The tears that had been gathering in her eyes for a few good minutes finally embarked on a journey down her cheeks.

Evidently, letting the tooth drop on its own wasn't a feasible idea.

"Maybe Luffy can help you pull out your tooth?" Sabo came up with an idea. He volunteered Luffy for it because— well, he wasn't going to reach a hand into a girl's mouth. Much less pull a tooth out.

"There's no need for Luffy, I can help her." Ace's tone promised Yue Xin that she was going to experience the worst pain in her life.

"I can do it!" Luffy was happy to help.

Yue Xin glared at Freckled Cockroach before turning to Luffy. She looked back down at the juicy shrimp in her hand.

"...Okay. Do it quick, got it? Or else I won't let Vermillion play with you!" Yue Xin stuck the stick of shrimp into the dirt ground by the fire. She opened her mouth and closed her eyes tightly when she felt rubber fingers latch onto her small tooth.

"I'm going to pull, in 1...2...3!"

Yue Xin squeezed her eyes tighter and curled her fists.

She heard a rubbery(?) sound, and—

— _screamed._

"AH! Oh no— "Luffy was dragging the girl across the ground unknowingly as he began running, his arm stretching behind him, fingers still tightly gripped on Yue Xin's tooth. "DO I LET GO?"

"WAAAAAA— " Yue Xin's scream rose a few more decibels in panic.

"LUFFY! CONTINUE! THE TOOTH IS LOOSENING!" Ace guffawed at Yue Xin half-faceplanting in the ground, tears and snot across her face while she screamed her lungs out. "KEEP PULLING! HAHAHA!"

"Pull your arm in with all your strength! Not run!" Sabo yelled above Yue Xin's shrieks of terror and pain, giving some real advice.

"OKAY!" Luffy yelled back, then pulled his arm back in.

" _AAAHHHHHHH_ — " Yue Xin's scream went up to an ear-ringing octave. Birds scattered from the neighbouring trees.

The tooth was already quite loose from the start, yet it wasn't budging from Yue Xin's gum. The more Luffy pulled on her stubborn tooth, the more Yue Xin felt like someone was trying to rip her whole gum out. "AAAAAHHH— TOOOORRH— AAHHHHHHH~" Yue Xin was trying to say "stop" but she couldn't form the words properly with her mouth opened. Her cries for Luffy to let go melted into incomprehensible screams.

Without warning, the pressure on Yue Xin's tooth disappeared and Yue Xin went face-first into the ground.

"IT'S OUT!" Luffy waved a bloody tooth from a distance.

"HAHAHAHA! DID YOU SEE THAT SABO! HAHAHAH~" Ace was rolling on the floor laughing at Yue Xin's demise, clutching at his stomach. "She was screaming like a pig about to be butchered— HAHAHAH~"

Sabo couldn't help but crack a smile at that, chuckling at Yue Xin who now lifted her dirt-smudged and snot-smudged face out of the ground.

She hiccupped, still sniffling as she tottered to the river to wash the tangy blood out of her mouth. It was her fault for letting Luffy help her with pulling her tooth. She should have asked Sabo, or asked Ace— even if he would knock out all her teeth, it was at least a quick process.

Her lips wobbled again when she spotted her silly self in the reflection of the river water. The sight of the gap where her front tooth was, coupled with the dirt, snot and tears was going to be a sight she remembered for life. A trauma she would never forget. Next time, if any of her tooth was going to fall out, she was going to do it herself.

Yue Xin regretted not leaving first thing in the morning.

"You look so stupid with the gap! Hahaha!" Ace pointed a rude finger at Yue Xin, "Idiot! Hahaha!"

Sabo gave Ace a sideway glance. He had a gap in his teeth as well. If Sabo didn't know Ace was referring to Yue Xin, that line would have sounded like it was for him instead.

"Now we are gap buddies!" Luffy came to the rescue, showing off his gaps proudly. Yue Xin couldn't manage a smile with her harrowing experience of being dragged by the tooth, but Sabo grinned back at the straw-hat boy.

All of sudden, Ace was now excluded. Ace's laughter died down and he 'tsk'ed again.

"Acfe-kun, you can join the gap buddfies too..." Yue Xin offered, her 'a' and 's' leaking airs without a tooth in front. "I kan help...wifh _all your teeth_ , y'know?" She cracked the bones in her hands, wiggling them in front of Ace.

"I'll do it myself! Unlike you, scaredy-cat!" Ace retorted.

Yue Xin brandished her hard, Qi-infused fist and Ace wisely didn't continue his insults.

* * *

Breakfast was over and done with, like the tooth that was full of bad memories sinking into the bottom of the riverbed.

Yue Xin couldn't find any excuses to hang around the three brothers any longer. They were already preparing for their training session, Luffy excitedly declaring that he was going to beat Ace this time. Yue Xin thought of training with them, but her training method was vastly different. Moreover, these 3 were like ants to her, she could crush them easily in any kind of fight; training with them would be like babysitting.

She had neglected her own training for two days. If her mothe—

Yue Xin stopped herself.

"I'm going off to train as well. See you guys soon!" She stood up quickly. Vermillion was stuffed back into her Pocket with hands so quick none of the boys noticed.

"NOT IF I SEE YOU FIRST!" Ace yelled at Yue Xin who was already jogging off into the forest.

Yue Xin only waved a hand as acknowledgement.

"So. Let's go back to our hideout?" Sabo stamped out the dying fire.

"Aww. I wanted to play more with mystery girl."

"Shit! I wanted to challenge her to a fight!"

* * *

Yue Xin leaned against a tree.

Alone again.

She stood there, listening to the leaves rustle as the wind brushed past them.

 _No! Concentrate! Train! Read the scroll! Find a way back home!_

Determined, Yue Xin plopped right down and began her meditation. Feeling for Ling Qi mixed in between the normal air particles, she began separating the Ling Qi and pull them in through the pores of her body. The Ling Qi was drawn to the second Ling Qiao (灵窍) within her Qi Veins. Every martial artist has 9 Ling Qiaos, which are a part of the map of Qi Veins that run throughout a martial artist's body. They store Ling Qi (灵气) collected from the atmosphere and converts them into their own Qi for use. Every martial artists' has their own Qi signature, which is a result of cultivating the 'wild' Ling Qi into their own 'tame' Qi. These first three Ling Qiaos are at the top of the head, the space a little above the two brows, and the back of the head. These three make up the Upper Dan Tian (上丹田).

Curiously, the Middle Dan Tian (中丹田) is made up of 4 Ling Qiaos. Counting from the first three, the fourth is located at the breastbone, with the fifth Qiao in line on the back, at the bottom of the shoulder blades. The sixth and seventh are each on both shoulders. The last two Qiao, will complete the three Dan Tians as the Bottom Dan Tian, with the eighth Qiao two fingers below the navel, and the ninth aligned on the curve of the back.

Looking from the front or from the back, the 9 Ling Qiao forms the number 'ten' in the Empire's native language: 十.

However, not everyone is born with a complete map of Qi Veins. They could be missing a Ling Qiao, or perhaps no Qi Veins run through their hands or legs. Everyone has a unique set of Qi Veins. Although possessing 9 Ling Qiaos are rare among the Churians, it is not entirely non-existent. Just like how individuals have a one in a million chance of possessing Conqueror's Haki, it is likewise for Churians and the 9 Ling Qiaos. Many top Talents in Academies or Sects have 7 Ling Qiaos and above.

Following this logic, if each Standard corresponds to one Ling Qiao, it would be common sense to think that there would be 9 Standards, instead of the current 5 Standards that are known to the public. Although, to reasons unknown to the Churians, no one has been able to cross into the sixth Standard after the Great War, the Transdimensional Standard. Hence, as time passed and history was forgotten—or _erased_ — martial artists accepted that 5 Standards were the highest that one could achieve.

Yue Xin sighed at the amount of Ling Qi she was gathering from the surroundings. In the New World, Ling Qi was much more plentiful, especially in the Empire. Here in East Blue, the amount of Ling Qi in the air was like comparing a swimming pool to the East Blue sea.

Since she had conscious thought as a baby, she had been unintentionally experimenting with absorbing Ling Qi in her crib. She was almost near the 6th Primary Standard, when her parents finally realised that their daughter had an abnormal amount of Qi. She was destroying her toys and utensils left and right whenever she couldn't control her strength— which was all the time. Her mother then began her official training, at age two, a year earlier than other martial artists.

Yue Xin spent only a year in the Nine Primary Standard, completely opening her first Ling Qiao and succeeding in stabilizing it. Four years later, she was about to step into the Transcendent Standard. She was already a pseudo-Master with her second Ling Qiao stable and the third on the verge of opening. Every Standard will open a Ling Qiao, increasing the amount of Qi for the martial artist and strengthening their body.

Yue Xin essentially had cheat codes given to her by the _Wu Zun_. She had his accumulated experience of breaking through each Gates of each Ling Qiao, and even all sorts of Techniques that the _Wu Zun_ had passed on to her through his memories.

Most importantly, she knew how to break through to the sixth Standard.

After a few more minutes of sucking her surroundings dry of Qi, Yue Xin picked out the the royal blue Pocket from her tunic.

She couldn't stop the disgust that crawled up from her fingers and up her spine. It was clean and beautiful, with lifelike dragons and phoenixes embroidered in silver threads— but it made her feel sick every time she touched it. She could throw it away, or maybe even gift it to the three idiots or Dadan. They would never be able to open it without Qi anyways.

But it was a clue to the _Wu Zun's_ identity. Every possession of the _Wu Zun's_ was provided by the "generosity' of the Government.

 _Someone could find it. No. The World Government will find it. If it was passed on to other hands, it would implicate the innocent bystanders and drag out the secret that I am still alive._

Yue Xin waved a hand with Qi across the Pocket. An Imprint glowed on the surface of the Pocket before fading into nothing.

The _Wu Zun's_ Imprint.

Her breath hitched and panic climbed as she immediately dropped into a battle stance. She extended her Willpower to their maximum range, breathing heavily as she chanted 'calm down, calm down, calm down...' repeatedly in her head.

She looked to her left— _only a wild rabbit rustling in the bushes._

She turned to her right— _nothing but trees and flowers._

She whirled around— _more trees._

"I can do this. He's not coming. He's not here. He's not here. He's not here. _I can do this._ " Her voice wobbled as she slowly drew her extended arms back to her side.

 _He's watching,_ the snide voice whispered in her head.

"Shut up. I know. I already knew that!" Yue Xin drove her own fist into her head, "Shut up!"

Yue Xin had already known that the Wu Zun wouldn't let her go without a way to keep tabs on her. She could easily ignore it as it was just _knowing_ , but seeing his Imprint on the Pocket with her own eyes confirmed the fact.

It made her very uneasy.

She leaned against the tree, forcing herself to look at the blue Pocket, turning it over and over in her hands. It took her a few more minutes to steady her breathing. _I can do this._

Ire soon replaced the anxiousness she had squashed down. She had let her feelings take control over her again. Yue Xin stomped the ground once, releasing the mess of emotions through the forming crater in the ground.

Her face smoothed back into her usual nonchalance. With newfound composure, she picked another tree and jumped onto a thick branch effortlessly.

Yue Xin knocked on her forehead to kickoff her thinking process. She needed to think; figure out her next steps.

 _The Wu Zun can only sense me— the Pocket— if I'm in the range of his Willpower. He's in the New World, he can't sense me here in East Blue, it's too far. But he possibly knows where I am, he was the one who sent me here through the Door._

The blue Pocket was essentially a location tracker for the Wu Zun to know of Yue Xin's whereabouts in his Willpower range.

She chewed on her bottom lip. She had no idea what was the range of a Grand Duke Master's Willpower.

 _Will he sense me if I return to the Empire?_

It was a risk that Yue Xin had to take. She was returning to her home, no matter what. She couldn't remove his Imprint either, unless she was at a higher Standard—

—or the _Wu Zun_ died.

Which Yue Xin would make sure of.

* * *

 **Shang (上** **) = Up/Upper**  
 **Zhong (中** **) = middle**  
 **Xia (下** **) = down/bottom**

 **What is a 'Dan Tian' and how to pronounce it?**  
 **In a very loose translation, it is often referred as a 'diaphragm' ( or elixir field/energy center/ sea of qi as Wikipedia says lol). Dan Tian is a term from traditional chinese medicine, it refers to a place where we store our Qi (not the fictional Ling Qi). This Qi is used during meditation, exercise, or martial arts like qigong or tai chi.**

 **How to pronounce:**  
 **it's not Daniel Radcliffe's 'Dan', but its more of Dah-ah-n.**  
 **Tian: Tee-yeh-ehn.**

 **Here's a guide for Ling Qiao too:**  
 **Ling: lol u alr know this**  
 **Qiao: chee-ya-ow**

 **What is a Ling Qiao?**  
 **A fictional thing. But in traditional chinese medicine, there are 7 main Qiao in our body (there is no such things as plural 'Qiaos' in chinese language). They are literally 'holes' in our body that connect to the outside. 2 for our eyes, 2 for our ears, 1 for our nose, 1 for our mouth and the last one is your asshole (no offence HAH). But in this story about xiuxian, I shall refer to Ling Qiao as more of a bubble-like thing that stores Qi.**


	15. Wow author-san you're still alive?

**趎龑** **(chú yǎn)**

 **I decided to give the "Empire of Churia" its own chinese name—how it is called in their "mother tongue" (which is chinese lol).**

 **Its just transliteration.**

* * *

"Milly~"

Vermillion ignored the girl and continued rotating in the air.

The little girl gasped. This was phenomenal. The last time she called Vermillion by its most hated nickname was the time she almost got sliced into little pieces. Vermillion had always hated this particular nickname for some reason. Yue Xin usually avoided stepping on the sword's landmine, but Vermillion was acting unlike itself today. She had released the sword from the Pocket prison, feeling a little too vulnerable after the discovery of the Wu Zun's Imprint, and needed another presence to anchor her down.

Vermillion hadn't floated around her in its usual way to comfort her, but instead spun around like a needle of a Log Pose interrupted by conflicting magnetic waves, wavering and undecided.

"What's wrong? Are you trying to find something?"

The black sword spun a few more rounds, finally pointing its tip towards a direction determinedly.

Yue Xin had grown up with the sword after all; she could read the sword's actions like the back of her hand, "Do you want to go there?"

Vermillion had felt a pull, a familiar call, when they landed onto this island, but it was never strong enough like it was now. It couldn't pinpoint its exact position a few days ago as the call was too weak, but it got stronger the longer Vermillion stayed on the island. The sword now wriggled in the air, still pointing at that particular direction to signal its impatience.

"Now? What made you so eager?" Yue Xin narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "If it's another prank you're trying to pull I'll bury you in a jar of zombie worms."

Her threat fell on deaf ears as the black sword flitted off without giving any indication that it had heard Yue Xin.

* * *

" _No_. I'm _not_ going in there. Never."

Vermillion waved agitatedly in the air at Yue Xin's vehement rejection.

Yue Xin scrunched up her button nose, looking upon the mountains of trash with disdain. She never knew how much she loved cleanliness until the putrid stench of rotting garbage assaulted her every cell. It was weird to say the least, but she felt very offended by the mountains of garbage before her— and she was only at the very edge where the forest and Grey Terminal met. Clearly the scenery (and the smell) further inside must be a sight to behold.

The Churian girl silently wondered if it was possible to bottle up the smell and create stink bombs.

Vermillion did its spinning thing again, pointing decidedly towards a direction after a few rounds. It then gave Yue Xin a 'vehement' look of its own.

The little girl scoffed, "Over my dea— AAAH! LET ME DOWN!" The sword had picked her up by the back of her collar just like a mother cat with its baby kitten. Yue Xin struggled but stopped when she felt her collar slip a little from Vermillion's tip. She would rather be hung around like a clothes hanger than drop into the ocean of trash beneath her.

"What are you looking for? What made you so impatient?" Yue Xin sealed her sense of smell with Qi. Not being able to smell anything was a godsend but she could _feel_ that the revolting smell was seeping into her every pore.

Vermillion sent a small vibration in reply that ran down her spine, making her giggle.

Her giggle didn't last long when Vermillion started on its Log Pose Spin again, trying to pinpoint the familiar link it sensed. Her blood ran cold as she felt her collar come off a little from Vermillion's tip. "STOP SPINNING RIGH— AAAH! I'll kill you!" Yue Xin closed her eyes in fright as the world spun around her, "I'LL— "

Her breath caught in her throat as she felt her collar rip from Vermillion's tip.

"WAAAAAAHHHHH~"

Yue Xin opened her eyes to see the ground— no— a trash mountain loom right in front of her eyes. Her reflexes kicked in as she stretched out her arms to push herself off the trash heap and somersault into a standing position, all the while screaming insults at Vermillion the perpetrator.

Grey Terminal residents poked their heads out from their trash homes, some throwing curious glances at the flying sword and little girl, others with a surveying eye.

"Curse you! I'll use you to butcher pigs everyday!" Yue Xin waved her dirtied hands at the sword. They had met a terrible fate, one smeared with something unimaginably foul and sticky, the other was rotting food festering with maggots. Yue Xin gagged at the sight of the flattened maggots on her hand.

Vermillion 'laughed' so hard that the Grey Residents thought that if the sword could bend in half, it would have done it.

"Come here, " Yue Xin smirked, her tone dripping with poison, " _Milly._ "

As expected, the sword shot forward to make mincemeat out of Yue Xin.

Yue Xin dodged Vermillion with a sidestep and grabbed its red tassel, "Heheheh, caught you!"

Vermillion vibrated in panic.

"TAKE THIS!"

Yue Xin poured all her strength into a deadly Qi-powered helicopter spin. Nearby trash collectors wailed as large pieces of trash flew towards them from the strong gusts of wind generated.

A weak pleading vibration traveled from the tassel to Yue Xin's palm. "Alright, alright, I'll let you..." A sinister smile crept onto her face, "... _go_."

This time it was Vermillion who 'screamed' as it shot off into the blue sky with the force of a torpedo.

"What a nice weather today, right?" Yue Xin turned to the groaning Grey Terminal residents on the ground. "Oops! Sorry!"

She didn't forget to wipe her hands (as clean as possible) on a piece of old cloth sticking out from the dump. Yue Xin jotted down in her ever-growing mental list to learn the Cleansing Spell when she returned to the Empire. Just a few hand signs would have her as clean as a new pin.

Turning to an injured man, Yue Xin casually lifted the heavy piece of wood pinning down the poor man and threw it into another trash mountain. The bleeding man gaped at her as said mountain collapsed, hands pressed against the deep gash on his forehead. "Wh-What are you?! Get the fuck away from me!"

The little girl frowned. "That's not very nice, Sir. I am human."

She had forgotten to mask her abilities since coming to the Grey Terminal, but it was too late for that anyways. It would be fine if she didn't show any more than her inhuman strength. Yue Xin glanced at the horizon, hoping that the stupid sword would quickly make its way back so she could get out of here. She shifted her eyes back to the frightened man and added, "Also, its not very nice to say bad words in front of children."

The girl stepped closer to the man, but he scrambled back away in fright. "I'll heal you."

"G-Go away!"

Seeing that the man was finally realising that he had legs and could run, Yue Xin picked up a small knobby piece of metal and flicked it towards an acupoint on his head. The escaping man groaned as his legs gave out under him, "W-Witch...! What have you...done?! Why...am I so...dizzy?"

Yue Xin didn't bother explaining her actions to a man who had no basic knowledge on human anatomy. She had hit an acupoint on the head of the man, which causes dizziness and a splitting headache. Acupoints will cause different effects depending on the strength they are hit with and the combination they are hit in. There are 36 fatal acupoints within the human body, which every martial artist is familiar with. They are used to restrain the enemy, to destroy their Qi Veins, or to simply kill. Martial artists have a slightly different set of acupoints than other humans as they have Qi Veins.

The little girl pried the man's hands from clutching at his head and forced them to his side. "Stop struggling! I'll heal you!" She huffed, sending a quick Qi-infused finger flick to the man's temple (another acupoint), doubling his dizziness. The man could only lay there like a tame kitten, blinking the dark spots out of his vision as Yue Xin dabbed a finger in the stream of blood running down the side of his face. She quickly drew a complicated mandala circle on the man's forehead with the blood as ink. Coupled with a few hand signs, Yue Xin called upon her Qi and placed a palm upon the mystical circle on the man's forehead.

"Heal."

The man fixed bewildered eyes upon the small frame of the girl beside him when he felt the dizziness and headache sweep away, replaced by a rush of warmth enveloping his entire body. "Y-you— "

Yue Xin pulled the man up by his collar swiftly, reaching a hand out to the back of his head to hit a combination of acupoints. The man opened his mouth but not even a croak sounded. He grasped at his throat, his bewildered expression now mixed in with horror.

Yue Xin stuck her tongue out at the man. "It's temporary," she reassured.

Finally she could have some peace and quiet. She scanned her surroundings for any other injured residents while she left the man to gape at the green mystical circle constructed of foreign runes lighting up around him. His attention was soon snatched away by the tickling feeling on his forehead. He raised a hand, running it across his forehead where the wound was, confusion deepening when he felt unmarred skin under his hand.

Yue Xin squinted at a tiny black dot at the skyline. Vermillion was on its way back.

A mischievous quirk of her lips had her looking like a twin of Ace scheming a prank against his brothers. Vermillion was going to have the time of its li—

A sudden burst of light burned her eyes as the trash mountains before Yue Xin shook. The man scrambled back, shielding his eyes from the bright light. "What's happening?!"

Her smile dropped immediately, jaw tightening as fear coursed her.

The World Government? Another Wu Zun out for her head? How did anyone discover her identity?

 _Was it the three brothers?_

Her heart sank.

She summoned Qi to her fists and threw out her Willpower.

 _No life energy detected._

Yue Xin blinked. It couldn't be. She concentrated once more, scrutinising over every inch of the shaking trash mountain.

 _Nothing._

Whatever it was, it wasn't human.

Somehow Yue Xin found herself expecting a robot to appear gloriously from the trash like all the fantasy stories she had perused through word for word. Assembling itself from scrap metal and abandoned gears, its eyes would glow as the final headpiece snapped into place-

Yue Xin shook her head to rid herself of the pointless fancying. The mysterious light-f _rom an object, perhaps?-_ was already emerging slowly from the trash mountain, rubbish rolling down the sides as it shook loose.

Although she would be more than happy to have a chance at a combat robot, she would prefer to leave this battle alive instead. Yue Xin forced her Willpower to its maximum radius but could not detect any other enemies except for the confused Grey Terminal residents.

The black sword sang through the air as it forced itself to go faster.

Yue Xin watched the blinding light fade into a soft glow that still kept the source of it hidden from view.

 _Should I attack before its ready?_

Another voice popped out:  
 _But where would be the fun in that?_

Yue Xin smacked the thrill-seeker in her away. The last time she felt exhilarated, she had lost everything. She didn't have the time, nor the entitlement to be searching for that rush of adrenaline.

She needed to get out alive, return to the Empire, find her parents' bodies, bury them, and...

...And tell Vermillion to find a new owner.

She swept the morbid thoughts into a small corner of her mind and focused on the silhouette of the mysterious glowing object. Small, round— it seemed to be looking at her—

The object catapulted itself towards her.

The Churian girl jerked her hand forward to cleave the object in half. She let out a tiny gasp when her Qi-coated hand hit a mystic shield circle instead. Her attack rebounded and the little girl quickly backflipped to put some distance between her and the enemy.

 _Where did it come from?_

Her eyes caught onto the hazy outline of the object behind the glowing circle.  
 _Of course._

 _A weapon of the Government's? No. It's using mystic circles- only Qi users can activate it— But why would a thing of the Empire's be here in East Blue? Grand Masters? Secret weapon?_

Yue Xin gathered Qi to her eyes, zeroing in on the object when the mystic circle was dispelled.

A white stone.

Her breath stilled.

Ancient, esoteric runes were carved into its white body, each curve and flick of the runes seemingly to blend into each other, forming an intricate and enigmatic mystic circle. But the deep crack running down its middle broke the hypnotising beauty of the stone, leaving Yue Xin with an inexplicable urge to restore the stone to its complete self so she could admire it longer.

A stab of pain from her head drew her out of her trance. Her vision swam as she felt her Willpower pushing against her senses painfully.

No doubt, it was the work of those mysterious runes that covered the white stone. Her Standard was too low to be looking at something way above what her senses could comprehend.

 _No Qi readings in the area- I can't detect the stone's Qi- it's not connected to a user. The mystic circle carving is damaged; no one can activate it._

The stone threw itself at her again, like a eager puppy welcoming its own master back from a long day of work.

 _Puppy?_

She raised an eyebrow. What a familiar sight.

 _Was this the thing Vermillion had been looking for?_

Yue Xin retracted her hand out of the stone's reach and rapidly flashed a few hand signs.

Friend or foe, she had to subdue it first.

A few beads of sweat trickled its way down the side of Yue Xin's face as she strained to finish the binding circle- it was the strongest binding mystic circle she knew. It was Transcendent Standard and would have killed her if she weren't so close to becoming a Master herself.

She had learnt a few binding and sealing spells here and there from Mrs Yue since Yue Xin always had to seal her own Standard to Primary levels in public eye. A fast leveling child genius like her was enough to draw the attention of the Grand Masters. However, Mrs Yue removed Yue Xin's seal prior to the run; they needed as much Qi as possible to escape the clutches of the filthy dogs of the Government.

Yue Xin dwelled on her outcome many a time; if she hadn't removed her seal, would the _Wu Zun_ still have noticed her Standard?

Deep inside, the little girl knew that a sealing spell by Mrs Yue was no match for the _Wu Zu_ n who had knowledge of the True Ancient Arts. As scant as it was, as incomplete his sixth Standard was- he was stronger. The seal was useless in front of him. Though, the little girl entertained that thought frequently. She would very much prefer that the Wu Zun didn't need to go through the trouble of making a fake head.

The strengthening glow of the binding circle signalled to her that it was completing.

 _Almost there!_

Yue Xin poured her last bit of Qi into it, locking in the white stone still hurtling towards her.

"Bind!"

A bright light engulfed the two fighting figures (technically, only one), blinding the Grey Terminal residents again along with some newcomers.

"Magic! MAGIC!"

"Shut up Luffy! We're gonna be discovered!"

A small cry of protest at the fist that conked his head went unheard by the battling stone and girl.

Her glee shattered as quickly as the binding spell. The stone just shot through the ropes of light like it wasn't a spell of Transcendent Standard, fractals of light scattering around them like fairy dust.

"So prett- no! Mystery girl is in danger!"

"Stay down."

Sabo glanced back at Ace, already in a half-crouch, ready to spring out at any moment. The warning from Ace wasn't directed at the flailing rubber boy held down by the oldest, but at Sabo.

Sabo opened his mouth, "But she's-"

"You won't be able to help. Look at them, " Ace cut him off, nodding his chin towards the weird stone and Yue Xin throwing out spell after spell, circles of light forming and shattering faster than their eyes could follow. "What are you going to do? Get killed?"

Sabo shut his mouth and sat down, eyes never leaving the small figure of the girl evading the mysterious stone's pounces.

Ace then turned his attention to Luffy who was stretching his arm as far as he could (which wasn't very far) towards Yue Xin, "Stop struggling, Luffy! She's..." Ace struggled to admit she was 'stronger', "...she's quick on her feet. You'll only be a burden if you go help."

Luffy retracted his arm, lips turned up in a pout.

Yue Xin couldn't care less about what was going on around her. She had a very nasty enemy on hand. The little girl was running short of breath— _ohhow rare that was_ — and her last few wisps of Qi were being eaten up by the mystic spells she was throwing out like confetti from a party popper.

"VERMILLION!" Yue Xin roared as she ducked another attempt of the stone to shoot through her/jump in her embrace/knock her out(?).

The black sword had finally arrived.

" _Oh_ , finally, you—"

Yue Xin gaped as she watched her old friend braked bounce over to the stone that had been trying to kill her(?) and cheerfully snuggled up to it.

"Y-You..."

The white stone had dispelled all its defenses and allowed the sword to rub up against it. How innocent it looked, obediently floating there.

Yue Xin felt her eye twitch. "Traitor," she hissed, "I'll never get another sword. You'll be my butcher knife for eternity."

The said traitor ignored her and continued frolicking with the evil stone.

"Your sibling." Yue Xin cut to the chase. It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Vermillion's excited nod was all she needed to know. But—

"Why was it trying to kill me then?" The girl crossed her arms and glared at the white stone, "I didn't do anything and it just rushed at me like I was the one who cracked it."

Vermillion shook its head.

"No?" Yue Xin raised a skeptical eyebrow, "then—"

She was interrupted once more as the stone shot faster towards her than she could react, and braked sharply inches before her.

"Wweuf?" Yue Xin garbled. The stone had plopped right into her arms.

And snuggled up to her like it did with Vermillion.

 _So it hadn't been trying to kill me, but it had been trying to...hug me?_

Yue Xin's eyes rolled right up to the skies. _Then what was all the aggressive spell throwing then? Had I just been defending myself from a stupid hug? Wasting my Qi?_

 _"_ No, wait! What are you doing!" A mystic circle of golden light burst under her feet, ancient runes similar to those on the body of the stone lighting up. "What is this? VERMILLION?!"

A strange energy coursed through her from the mystic circle beneath her feet. The little girl watched with wide eyes as a golden rune peeled itself off from the mystic circle and then sink itself onto her forehead. The rune glowed for the last time before disappearing into her forehead, like it had never been there.

A new 'voice' then spoke in her brain:  
°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

 _Wait. What?_

(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)

(─‿─)

 _No, what's with that blushing face and heart?_

Yue Xin shook her head and even stuck a finger in her ear to see if she could dig it out.

Σ(°ロ°)

..・ヾ(。＞＜)シ

 _It was saying...don't chase him out?_

Yue Xin looked down at the trembling stone in her arms. _Ah_.

Her brain clicked. "It's you."

The stone: (o^ ^o)/

"You can't speak? Words?" Yue Xin switched from the common tongue of the World into the Empire's mother tongue, "趎龑 (chu yan)文?"

Stone: (-_-;)・・・

Right, if Vermillion had no interest in learning how to write (even though it had decades of time with her and her mother), its sibling would definitely not be interested as well.

"Okay, okay, and so you can speak in my brain is because of the rune? The spell?"

The white stone 'nodded' in her arms.

Yue Xin's head was swimming with questions that could never be answered with the simple 'nods' nor the expressive kaomojis the stone could only communicate in. She breathed a heavy sigh and glared at Vermillion, "If only I had forced you to learn how to write..."

Vermillion 'took a few steps back', shaking itself in protest.

"Hmph! I still haven't forgiven you yet for dragging me here, we'll see when we get back to the Empire!"

* * *

The three brothers watched the figures of the trio—girl, stone and sword disappear in the direction of the city from their stack of rubbish.

"...So, what do we do now?"

Luffy perked up at the question, "Let's go find mystery girl and get her to show us more sparkly circles!"


	16. 13

**SURPRISE! My exams finished 2 weeks ago, but I kind of procrastinated on writing...and it took me a while to familiarize with the story again (+ coming up with some new ideas) — basically me shooting myself in the foot by always writing my stories on the fly. I don't even have a clue how our dear protagonist is going to join the crew hAHAkillmeHHAHA**

* * *

 **Recap (because oBVioUsLY Author-san hasn't been abandoning her readers)**  
 _Yue Xin obtains a mysterious sentient stone and finds out its a "sibling" of Vermillion's. Luffy wants to follow after Yue Xin entering the city but Ace's answer is..._

* * *

"...No."

"Why not?!"

"..."

Luffy pursed his rubber lips, "See? So let's go find her!"

Sabo's eyes darted between the two, trying to decide whose side he should take. After a moment's deliberation, he spoke, "Um, we can go search for some treasure first. When we enter the town to sell our stuff then we can find Yue Shin, uh, Sing?"

The oldest and youngest gave their consent with crossed arms and annoyed huffs.

* * *

"It's so different..." Yue Xin mumbled to herself as she took in all the architecture of a style so unlike the Empire. Vermillion and Whitey (clearly she wasn't the best at naming things) had been stuffed back into the black Pocket less people began to give her trouble for a floating sword and stone.

Sights from the books and stories the travelling merchants in the Empire had told her about was right before her eyes. There were rectangular, orderly buildings in the town as opposed to the tiled roofs and irregular styles in the Empire; pastel colours painting the streets while brighter, more auspicious colours like red was favoured in her hometown. Although the buildings in Edge Town were decrepit and the once pretty pastel of the walls had dulled to a sun washed grey, it didn't dull the burning curiosity and excitement in Yue Xin.

The Empire of Churia did not practice isolationism like its neighbour, Wano Country, but it wasn't exactly open to all either. Only Royal-approved merchants had permission to enter, and only certain goods were to be sold. Though risky, merchants often snuck in blacklisted goods into the Empire for a quick buck. Visitors looking to enter the Empire had to apply for a Pass as well, and there was rigourous selection on who could and could not enter. However, regulations become slacker whenever the Tournament comes by, so many people take the chance to smuggle valuable information and goods into or out the country.

Yue Xin had begged her parents to get her a few such illegal books from the merchants, even sneaking out on nights that her parents weren't home to visit the merchants for their stories. She never learned why her parents disappeared for days sometimes, and she never asked. She had a feeling then that her parents would have given her a superficial answer that they knew she hated. But mostly, her parents' dark eyes behind their tired smiles always stopped her. Some things were always better left unsaid.

She always made use of those few days of freedom, wrapping those merchants around her little finger with smiling eyes and sweet compliments.

Now she was right before all the things she wanted to see; exotic structures and people, new, unfamiliar smells-

 _Ah._

Yue Xin had opened her nose receptors once leaving the trash-filled nightmare of a place, but that also meant she could smell the horrid stench coming off her.

The little girl looked back at the entrance to Edge Town; she could catch a glimpse of the trash mountains through the two yawning guards. It had only taken a small use of her Qi to activate a low level presence-repressing spell and slip past the guards into Edge Town. The spell was useless against higher tiered Qi users and Beasts, but was very effective against non-Qi users.

Yue Xin shivered in disgust as she recalled the stench, promptly cutting off her nose receptors with her Qi again. Active imagination or not, she felt like there were tiny, ugly worms crawling all over her. She was determined to burn her tunic if she could not wash the smell off. She needed some new clothes right now!

 _There must be a clothing shop somew— oh. Money._

There was some Churian Yuan in the black Pocket, but... _what was the currency the outside used again? Belom? Belu? Beli? Something like it._

It didn't seem logical to Yue Xin that shops here would accept a half-isolated country's currency from an entirely different sea. The girl once again lamented her thoughtlessness in not learning the cleaning spell, pushing it up in her little list of priorities.

Yue Xin's eyes narrowed as she caught the inquisitive glances thrown her way. Right, she had let something more important slip by her.

She was sticking out like a sore thumb with her Churian tunic.

Panic kicking in, the little girl gathered her barely recovered Qi and activated the same presence-repressing spell. The watching eyes of curious passer-bys slid past her small frame. She breathed a sigh of relief and slinked into a corner where unsuspecting people wouldn't accidentally bump into her.

 _...Now what do I do?_

She was very sure that Dadan wouldn't let her back in the house after she trashed her room. She needed a safe place to stay, where she could figure out her next steps to do, catch up on her daily reflections that she had been neglecting, stop procrastinating on opening the Wu Zun's Pocket, find a way back home, find her parents' bodies, give them a proper burial...

The forest wasn't safe. She needed a place where she could concentrate properly and _think;_ but with the constant attack of animals it would only tire her. The boys' hideout was not even an option on her list. Ace and Sabo— maybe even Luffy— would fight it out with her to keep their own territory to themselves.

Yue Xin had been unconsciously chewing on her lip as she fretted over her next steps. Feeling her single dignity left start wobbling, she released her lip from the tooth and scrunched the cloth of her long sleeves instead. The tall buildings casted a shadow over her, drawing a line between her and the sunny town.

Light and dark.

 _Was the world always so unwelcoming?_

Everything was so different in the past. Learning and experiencing new things was addictive. She learnt how vast the world was, how many rare sights she hadn't seen, how many interesting things she could dabble in—

and then she learnt how cold the world could be, how everything could seem so bleached of its colour, how nothing in this world mattered anymore.

How she had no one she could act like a spoiled child to anymore.

The little girl drew a rattling breath.

Although no one could notice her, the sweeping glances of passer-bys felt more overbearing by the second.

All she wanted to do was to stay in her corner and wait for someone to pick her up.

To tell her " _Let's go home_ ".

Yue Xin could hear her own breathing picking up, growing heavier and disordered. But her mind was slowing to a crawl, and the light before her suddenly seemed blinding. She shrank back into the shadow, pressing herself against the wall, trying to orientate herself. She couldn't tell if she had accidentally deactivated her presence-repressing spell. She was drawing gazes.

Was she? She couldn't tell. The gazes were getting sharper, more uncomfortable. There were eyes in every corner, staring at her, judging her.

She felt like vomiting.

Yue Xin's shaking hands scoured the wall for something to hold on. The cobbled stone was starting to look like smooth asphalt.

 _Mummy? Daddy? Where are you? I'm...I'm scared._

She was dimly aware that her Qi was starting to go out of control.

 _No. I'll hurt the people. Help me. Mummy, help me please. Please._

The little girl shook, fingernails scratching the flaking paint off the wall, digging into the concrete as she tried to rein in the Qi running berserk in her body. Her vision swam. Something wet was trailing down. Tears? Blood? Yue Xin was gasping for air like a fish out of water. Her lungs hurt, her head hurt, her body hurt from the Qi assaulting her own veins.

 _Help,_ she screamed, but only choked cries formed her words. _Help me._

A pair of arms swept her trembling body into an warm embrace, "Shush now, child, you're okay. It's okay."

White cotton underneath her fingertips. A sun hat keeping the glare of the afternoon sunlight from her stinging eyes. Soothing circles rubbed onto her back.

"It's okay now, shhh, it's all okay."

A warm voice.

 _Mummy?_

And then everything went black.

* * *

''Damn that wrinkled old geezer, he's so fucking stingy!" Ace complained under his breath as the trio exited the pawn shop in their disguise.

Luffy, in charge of the legs, turned in the direction of his favourite barbecue store. Sabo, in charge of the torso, tapped on the right side of Luffy's head to signal he was going in the wrong direction— and that their destination was definitely not the barbecue shop.

"Maybe we should find another pawn shop in the Town Center. They have more money than the small shops here." Sabo whispered back as he guided Luffy back the way they came.

The 'Legs' reluctantly turned in the direction Sabo pointed out, "Hey hey, when are we going to find Mystery Girl? You said we could find her after this."

"Uh..."

The 'Torso' and 'Head' of the hooded figure twisted weirdly as the 'Legs' abruptly veered off to the side. People raised a suspicious brow at them, giving them a wide berth.

"Damn it Luffy!" Ace yelled— softly— as he grabbed at Sabo's face blindly, "Don't do that! We almost fell!'

"Ma mwoath! Asche!" Sabo winced as Ace pulled his fingers out of his mouth.

"But you guys promised!"

"Okay, okay! We'll go find her!"

The blond rubbed his sore cheek from when Ace had suddenly grabbed him, "Let's go to the Town Center and also find another pawn shop along the way."

* * *

The first thing she noticed was the smell of the air. It was sweet, like flowers, yet too cloyingly sweet to be natural.

Yue Xin forced her eyes to open, grogginess clearing slightly as the soft light filtering through the windows bathed her in its warmth.

 _I...Where am I?_ Yue Xin rubbed her eyes, turning her head to survey the room she was in. The floral scent of the pillow she laid on was already a dead giveaway that it was a woman's bedroom. But whose bedroom was it? Yue Xin's face scrunched up in concentration as she tried to remember the specifics.

She only remembered being picked up by a woman who had a warm voice, like the sunlight that was currently streaming in.

"...My Pockets!" The little girl gasped in horror as she realised she was wearing a white cotton dress, which had been cropped to her size with some crude needlework. It was clearly made in a hurry. The person who saved her must have changed her clothes. Fortunately, the lady had some short shorts that fit her, or else Yue Xin would have been too embarrassed to walk far with the wind blowing between her legs.

She found her belongings left on a white dresser near the bed. Yue Xin made to tuck the pouches into her tunic, but realised her dress was only a single layer; it couldn't hold her pouches like the multiple layers her tunic and _zhong yi_ made. Her tunic had really been convenient. Not only the layers could store things, but the people of Churia also had pockets sewn into their sleeves, with the opening facing upwards, so it could store small things such as coins and even weapons.

Finding nowhere else to put in her dress, Yue Xin resorted to tying the three pouches on her arm with their drawstring. It looked silly and kind of hindered her movement, but it was better than leaving it lying around. She felt uncomfortable without having the three pouches kept close to her at all times.

Now that her belongings were safe and secured (A/N: AHAh puns amirite), the girl attempted to use her Willpower to give the house a quick scan.

"Ow."

The intense pain from her calling upon her Qi and Willpower made the girl's eyes water. She concluded it was the rampaging Qi she had desperately contained in her body earlier, and now it had caused some damage. It hurt her Veins a little, but some rest and care should have her Veins as good as new.

Yue Xin frowned. Not being able to use her Qi felt like losing a limb. It made her feel off-balanced, and mostly uneasy. Without her Qi, she was defenseless like the average seven-year-old.

Leaving it to mull over later on, the girl opened the bedroom door. There was a hallway leading to a living room filled with quaint furniture.

 _The lady must really love white._

The bedroom she was in was almost devoid of any colour, except for the flowers blooming on the windowsill, adding some colour to the otherwise all-white bedroom. Her living room was also the same, with white couches and walls, a glass table and large windows with sheer white curtains. Flowers dotted the living room as well. Yue Xin could only recognise a few common varieties. Paintings of flowers decorated the plain walls, and a bookcase full of information on horticulture demonstrated the passion of the saviour for her...job?

Her toes sank into the plush carpet— which wasn't white for once— as she tiptoed to look out the window. Careful not to tip over any flowerpots, the girl pressed her face into the glass for a better view. Even though it was still the afternoon, the streets outside were quiet. However, Yue Xin noticed the buildings were more refined, with fresher paint and little to no cracks running through the concrete, unlike the ones she had seen in Edge Town.

 _Town Center?_

It didn't make complete sense to Yue Xin, yet the perfectly cut stones of the sidewalk suggested otherwise. Edge Town to Town Center was quite a jump.

The little girl sneezed suddenly, startling herself. The heady floral scent permeating throughout the house was getting to her. Buried underneath the fragrance of the beautiful flowers was something weirdly off that made Yue Xin's nose itch. Perhaps because she was a Qi user, her senses had become more acute than the average human and thus the smell bothered her. Or perhaps it was because she still smelled like the trash she crawled out from.

 _Perhaps._ Yue Xin looked at the white furniture.

The footsteps along another hallway alerted Yue Xin to the presence of her saviour. Yue Xin turned around, waiting for her saviour to appear around the corner.

"Oh, you're awake now. How are you feeling? Does it hurt anywhere?"

The Churian girl offered up a small smile, "Was it you that saved me? Thank you. I'm feeling fine now."

If any man had to describe what her saviour looked like, it would be 'first love'.

Long, straight blond hair, soft blue eyes and fair skin. She was beautiful, outshining even the rose Yue Xin found the prettiest in her house. The white cotton dress she was clad in further added an innocent air to her.

A small warning ticked off in Yue Xin's mind.

The little girl's smile grew wider and she intentionally relaxed her shoulders.

"You must be thirsty, I'll get you a cup of water," The beautiful woman lightly held Yue Xin's hands and guided her to the white, spotless couch, "Make yourself at home dear, don't stand around. You must still be tired."

Yue Xin nodded, sitting quietly on the couch as the woman disappeared back the way she came, presumably where the kitchen must be located. She kicked off the gears in her brain. Every second was precious.

The lady returned soon with a tray, with dainty tea cups and some cake.

"This is the strawberry shortcake from the bakery down the street. It's quite delicious and a favourite of mine, I must say." The lady put down a cup of water and a plate of cake before Yue Xin, "You should try it. Here."

Yue Xin mumbled another thanks, taking the fork from the lady's outstretched hand.

"It gave me quite a shock to see you like that on the sidewalk. My poor child, what happened?"

Yue Xin's own favourite mind games were starting, she must say.

"I..." The little girl twirled the fork, destroying the icing of the cake. She took a small bite of the cake and swallowed, shifting a little in her seat like she was embarrassed. "Umm...I was playing, and then I saw a spider crawling into my tunic, and...and I'm very very very scared of spiders..." Yue Xin trailed off, looking at the floor with the fork pinched between her lips, "...Sorry...I must have given you a lot of trouble..."

 _Partially true, good enough._

Yue Xin wasn't very very very scared of spiders or any creepy crawlies— she was only a little scared of them.

"Oh no, no! It was only natural for anyone to help a small child like you!" The lady covered her mouth in shock, "You were shaking and crying in the corner all by yourself, it hurt my heart to see you like that."

 _It is natural for anyone to help a small child like me. But is it natural for you to help me?_

"Mummy says I must always return a favour, but I don't know what to do for you, pretty big sister..." Yue Xin polished off the rest of the cake (it was really delicious, she couldn't stop herself), "Do you need any help in anything, big sister?"

"Big sister?" The woman chuckled, "I may look young but I'm already an old middle-aged woman. You can call me Ms Chicatory." Ms Chicatory sipped at her tea, "Hmm, I do have something you can help me with. It's a small matter." She smiled softly at the child before her. "But more importantly, what do I call you? Do you know where you live?"

"Ah! Yes! My name is Saffy! I live in Edge Town with my Mummy and Daddy." Yue Xin pointed in a vague direction, "We live there."

"Where? I can bring you home after you return me the favour."

"Uhh..." 'Saffy' cursed silently in her mind— she should have had Sabo give her a more thorough run down of the specifics— now she was stuck. If she was found lying now...

The little girl cocked her head to the side, brows furrowed in concentration."Urm, it's near the shop that sells the round sweets and the old lady is always like this— "She bent her back exaggeratedly, "— and the scary uncle that always gives this face— " Yue Xin scrunched her face into her best fierce expression, "— and, and my house is beside Luce and Dandan's so we always play together!"

"...Oh," Ms Chicatory's expression stiffened for a second, "I— "

"I can bring you there if you want!" Yue Xin pointed in the same vague direction enthusiastically as she interrupted Ms Chicatory, "I know the way very well!"

The girl held her breath in anticipation as she waited to see if Ms Chicatory would tear through her thin lie.

"Sksksksk, what a cute child you are," The beautiful saviour put down her cup of tea, the orange flower petals within bobbing. "Sure, I'll let you bring me there when you finish an easy task for me."

'Saffy' hid her relieved expression by gulping down the cup of water.

"Yeah! Okay!"

"It's a really easy one. You just need to try a new flower tea I made and tell me your opinion about it, okay?" Ms Chicatory's smile showed off her pearly white teeth.

Yue Xin nodded.

Her beautiful saviour cleared the table and excused herself once more.

Yue Xin's smile wiped itself off her face.

Not a single question was asked about her three pouches, now tied securely on her arm. Nor was there any mention of where her tunic had went. The contents of her green pouch was more than enough to get anyone questioning her all afternoon. The two Pockets that no one could open without Qi was even more of an enigma that even a courteous, well-brought-up Ms Chicatory would admit to trying to peek in.

The hint of that unnatural floral scent was now grating on her nerves.

Or was Ms Chicatory really that nice, and refrained from going through her pouches?

Yue Xin resisted the urge to bite down on her loosening front tooth. She couldn't lose that too.

Her ears picked up the sound of footsteps again. She was back. Leaving the Churian girl with no time to think, she quickly forced her expression back into a friendly one.

White dress fluttering around her ankles, Ms Chicatory came back in tow with a single teacup. Inside was pink petals floating about in the white tea.

"Wow, it smells nice!" Yue Xin leaned over in childlike curiosity, "I bet it tastes nice too!"

"Of course." Ms Chicatory's red lips curled upwards, "It took me quite a while to extract and refine the flower's natural sweetness. I'm so glad that there's you to give the first taste test. Please give me your honest opinions."

Excited, Yue Xin kicked her feet in the air, observing Ms Chicatory's face as she deliberately let the dirty heel of her shoe dig into the pristine white couch. "I like chocolate milk more than tea, but— " _There it was._ "—I'll drink it for you, Ms Chicatory!"

Yue Xin picked up the teacup, giving it a good once-over. She made to drink it, but suddenly stopped. Yue Xin barely looked up in time to catch the same annoyance flash pass before a modest smile covered it up.

"The petals are so pretty! What flower is it? Pink is my favourite colour!"

Ms Chicatory leaned forward, pushing the cup suggestively towards Yue Xin's lips. "It's pink hibiscus."

 _Liar._

"That's so cool." Yue Xin pretended she didn't get the hint to _just drink it already._ "Will it be bitter? I don't like bitter."

Ms Chicatory's finger twitched, "...No. Of course not. Hibiscus flowers are sweet."

"Oh. Are you a florist? Tea florist? Is there such a job? It seems pretty, I want to become like you too!"

"The tea is getting cold, Saffy."

"Sorry, I— "

Ms Chicatory launched forward before she could finish her sentence, gripping Yue Xin's mouth open and forcing the tea into her mouth.

Yue Xin pushed against the woman, struggling to spit out the tea. She was slow and sluggish from the damage her rampaging Qi had done to her earlier, so she couldn't fight back against Ms Chicatory's death grip. However, from her surprise, she had swallowed much of the tea.

 _Unfair, unfair! I was still talking!_

Ms Chicatory's soft blue eyes had turned steel cold. "You talk too much, Saffy. Your mother should have taught you to shut that dirty mouth of yours."

 _Poison. As expected._

Yue Xin's Qi was reacting to the toxin, working to expel it out of her systems. But her Qi was weak, and it wasn't doing its job. _Damn it. I was careless._

The poison was acting already, turning her limbs to jelly. She was starting to feel woozy. Yue Xin ignored the searing pain shooting through her Qi Veins as she pumped Qi faster through her body, cleansing the deadly poison. Frustrated, the Churian girl wanted to lash out, but she was as weak as a newborn lamb.

 _No. You can do this. Calm down._

Yue Xin let her eyelids droop and sagged against the couch. She had no idea what type of poison it was, but going limp was always the correct choice. Was she supposed to act unconscious now? Or maybe even dead?

 _Come on bitch, give some hints!_

"It's angel trumpet my dear," Ms Chicatory leaned down, caressing a slim finger down Yue Xin's sweating face, "You couldn't even recognise one of the most poisonous flowers in the world."

Goosebumps ran up Yue Xin's arms at her velvety soft voice. The little girl knew something was wrong the moment her saviour walked in. 'Young', 'beautiful' and 'innocent' didn't fit with Edge Town's image. She had no business there. Yue Xin's suspicions rose further when she noted the immaculate house she was in; the white dress she was placed in, yet still she remained unclean.

 _Think, Yue Xin, think!_

Seeing how her state didn't raise any confusion for the cruel woman, Yue Xin understood that acting woozy was the correct choice. Could the poison let her speak? What other effects can this poison have?

"You..." Yue Xin managed to breathe out. She really felt faint. The pain from running Qi through her body was keeping her awake. Every second earned would be more poison gathered at her throat, so she could cough it out in the face of the despicable witch in front of her.

"Looks like its working. Say ' _Angel_ ' for me, hmm?" Ms Chicatory tucked her silky blond hair behind her ear, waiting expectantly for an answer.

"...Ange...l..."

"Very good!" A pleased smile spread across Ms Chicatory's doll-like features. "Say, ' _Mummy, help me, I'm scared_ '."

Yue Xin let her eyes droop further before the woman could notice the killing intent in them.

She was starting to see a lot of creepy crawlies on the floor. Black, writhing, many-legged creatures carpeted the wooden floors, aggregating at Ms Chicatory's feet, climbing, climbing up her white dress, leaving streaks of black in its wake.

There were so many. So many legs. So many scuttling feet. She could almost hear them as if they were right beside her ear.

The girl opened her mouth, repeating the words like a robot. "Mum...Mummy, hel...p me...I'm...scared..."

 _Vermillion...I need to open the Pocket..._

But she was in an awkward position. The pouches were pressed underneath the arm they were tied to, and moving her other arm would most likely alert Ms Chicatory. Yue Xin guessed as much that the angel trumpet's poison was likely something that rendered the victim completely docile.

"Well done, Saffy. But your Mummy can't hear you can she? You need to shout louder. Let her hear your cries of despair. Let her hear her cute little Saffy screaming for her as her baby dies, let her feel her heart break into tiny pieces. _Let her feel the pain I felt when my baby died._ "

Yue Xin couldn't see Ms Chicatory's face. The bugs were climbing up the couch's legs, making their way closer and closer.

Her voice was still as velvety soft as before, soothing, almost. Like someone singing a lullaby for their restless child in the crib.

"You must be paralysed now, huh. I must have accidentally added too large a dose to the tea...what a waste. I was planning to play with you a little more." Ms Chicatory's hand was there again, caressing her cheek. "But I'm more excited for your mother's reaction. Ah, yes, the look on her face when she finds her poor little Saffy _dead._ "

 _Hatred._

The bugs were getting closer. Their waving antennas were tangling up with each other. The white room was turning black.

Yue Xin knew hatred.

"Isn't it unfair? It's unfair that only I experience such loss, such pain, right? He goes off gallivanting with the woman who killed my baby, lying in her bed, having the time of their lives, while I desperately try to nurse my baby back to life."

Ms Chicatory's nails were digging into her flesh. "It's unfair. Unjust," she whispered, her dulcet tone turning ugly, " _Everyone should know my pain._ "

The bugs were here.

* * *

 **Did you find the easter egg?**  
 **Saffy = Sabo + Luffy**  
 **Luce = Luffy + Ace**  
 **Dandan is quite obvious**


	17. 14, like how i like my girls (lmao jk)

**I always feel so guilty seeing alerts that people have favorited the story when I was studying for my exams. Well, now that I'm more free in the next few months, I'll try my best not to procrastinate!**  
 **(try being the keyword here)**

 **Fun fact: I opened my drawer, saw a pencil of the brand "Chic", and a ticket saying "...Repertory", and combined them together to form "Chicatory".**

 **vsco girls: sksksksksksk**

* * *

The bugs were here.

Yue Xin's hand shot towards her black Pocket—

"You!"

 _Just a little closer, a little more...!_

Her head was spinning, and even lifting her jelly-like arm was already taking too much effort—

Ms Chicatory's pale fingers circled around her wrist.

"Look at you, you can't even move. Trying to escape is futile."

The poison throbbed within her. She thought she would be fast enough to let Vermillion out. She thought it would work, it would have taken Ms Chicatory by surprise, and then she could kill her, and make an escape. Seems like she overestimated the strength she had left.

Bugs were now scuttling up her arm and legs, drowning her in the horrific sensation of tiny feet all over her.

Like the fear that was clogging up her already muddled brain.

She couldn't die here now. Not yet.

 _Something...anything!_

Yue Xin ignored the bruising grip the woman had on her other wrist and tried to slide the Pockets tied on her arm down to her hand.

Blue eyes flashed with anger as a hand slammed Yue Xin's head into the couch. Creepy crawlies flew off in every direction. "Stop it. You shouldn't be able to move."

Qi...Her Qi was too slow in cleansing the poison.

She wanted to cry. The fear was painful. Everything was painful.

"N...No..." Yue Xin wheezed, Ms Chicatory was untying her Pockets from her arm.

"You like these pouches so much? I'll give it back to you, don't worry," Ms Chicatory threw the pouches onto the floor behind her, "After you're dead, that is."

Without her pouch, she couldn't call on Vermillion or the stone to protect her. _What do I do?_ Helpless, once again. Ms Chicatory's face morphed into a masked one for a split second.

Ms Chicatory grabbed her wrists, dragging her off the couch. Yue Xin's back slammed into the floor, causing her to cough out the little poison her Qi had managed to expel, staining the plush carpet brown. "Filthy wench! You're dirtying my house!" A heeled shoe struck her in the stomach, but all it did was make Yue Xin cough more poison out.

With some poison out of her system, Yue Xin was beginning to regain more clarity and control over her limbs.

The blond woman stepped forward, crushing bugs under her shoes as she dragged Yue Xin towards the kitchen by her wrists.

The creepy crawlies were running away.

The Heavens had given her a chance.

* * *

"Hey hey, Neko-chan, have you seen Mystery Girl?"

Luffy poked the black cat's side, the latter giving a warning growl as it stared the little boy down with its yellow eyes.

"She has two buns on her head, and kinda looks like this," The boy pulled his rubber face into a deadpan expression, "I want to play with her, but I can't find her."

The three brothers had ditched their hooded figure disguise because the 'Legs' were too restless. Poor Sabo had to have Ace's fingers shoved up his nostrils a few times before they decided that enough was enough.

"That pawn shop there looks good." Ace and Sabo were focused on their mission, listing down plausible replacements, "But it looks kinda..."

The two older brothers raised their brows at the thick, gold-plated door that looked more like the vault door of a rich noble's.

"Ace! Sabo!" Luffy waved a rubber arm at them, pointing to the black cat that was now stalking away. "Blackie saw Mystery Girl! He says he will bring us there!"

"Ah, well, we've seen enough shops anyways. Let's go."

Ace and Sabo raced after their younger brother.

"So...How does a cat know?"

"It's Luffy."

"Yeah, it's Luffy."

* * *

Yue Xin was trembling. She didn't want to admit it, but she was trembling in fear.

Not in front of the _Wu Zun_ , but in the face of a slim woman which she normally could have taken out in the blink of an eye—

Yue Xin couldn't accept that she was showing such weakness.

Her legs dragged against the polished wooden floor, friction burning her. Some bugs faded in and out of view. Soon, the wooden floor was replaced by cold tiles, each clack of Ms Chicatory's heels sounding like a countdown to her eventual death.

The chill of the cold tiles travelled up her back as she looked around the kitchen. Her 'saviour' was set on a determined route towards the gleaming kitchen knives displayed neatly on their stands.

No. She still had a chance. She could control her limbs better now. Her hallucinations were fading.

Yue Xin prayed that the Heavens would aid her once more.

She could use her Qi to essentially self-destruct, but that was a suicide attempt. She would either die or be never able to use Qi again.

 _Unacceptable. There must be another way._

There was only using her Qi to defend herself from Ms Chicatory, but that meant that the poison would take over her again without her Qi cleansing it from her veins. So she only had a short window from defending and escaping before the remaining poison in her body took over.

Yue Xin tried to hack up more poison, but she only managed small coughs.

"What would your mother love seeing?" Ms Chicatory mused in a sing-song voice, "Maybe empty holes where her baby daughter's eyes had been? Its quite poetic; eyes are the windows to one's soul, and she will never see yours again."

"Or maybe," The sound of a knife being removed from its stand grated against Yue Xin's ears, "chopping off your fingers so she can't even bear to link her hands with you?"

Yue Xin met eyes with the demonic woman. The hatred and glee condensed within her predatory smile, the shadow of madness within the sunlight that shone on them both made the little girl freeze up.

 _No!_

"Oh, dear me, I have forgotten your tunic. This needs to be a perfect crime. I can't have officers sniffing out me can I?

Yue Xin's eyes followed the knife as she placed it down on the counter.

 _If only I can get to it..._

Chocolate-brown eyes roved around the kitchen for all possible exits. Bugs were milling in from the connected hallway. But the tsunami of legs had subsided to a small wave now.

The sound of a drawer being opened and the smell of trash wafted towards Yue Xin. "Here it is."

 _Not yet, not yet, stay still...wait for the opportune time!_

Yue Xin used every inch of her will to lock her arms down as the woman ripped away the cotton dress from her body. Ms Chicatory was lost in her own monologue, "You lowly Edge Town people are always so disgusting. Your clothes were such a mess I couldn't stand having it touching my bedsheets," Her arms were yanked through her long _zhong yi_ and tunic sleeves, the waistband tied into its usual ribbon at the front.

Ms Chicatory was clever. Details like murdering her in the right clothes and even wearing her outfit for her correctly was something not many might have cared about. If she had planned this out so meticulously, Yue Xin didn't doubt she had already found some other scapegoat to take on this crime.

Not that this realisation helped stop her from trembling, but Ms Chicatory's effort did save Yue Xin from the trouble of finding her tunic back from the crazy woman. She only had to kill this woman and get back her pouches, then escape back to the Empire before anyone could trace the death to her.

 _Now!_

Yue Xin gathered her strength, and spit.

Black blood splattered across Ms Chicatory's face. She screamed in disgust, drawing the hairs on Yue Xin's arm up. The insects froze in their spots.

Teeth cut into her lips as she pushed her Veins to concentrate her Qi on her right hand. Ms Chicatory stumbled back, wiping at the blood that blinded her, "YOU _BITCH!_ " Her pale hands searched for the knife left on the counter, fingers circling around the handle, "I'LL— "

Her words were drowned out by the guttural scream that came out of Yue Xin. She felt like she had been dragged across sandpaper like a match, igniting every part of her. Her Veins, her muscles, her flesh— all were shrivelling up into blackened soot the more Qi she forced into her right hand, abandoning the poison that still wrecked havoc on her insides. She almost lost herself to it as she shot forward, hand aimed at Ms Chicatory's throat.

She only had one chance.

The deranged woman growled, bringing the knife down on Yue Xin's hand, body twisting out of the girl's reach.

Yue Xin was only seven after all. Her arms were not as long as Ms Chicatory's, nor was she as fast as she could have been with the poison slowing her down.

The knife didn't cut through Yue Xin's coat of Qi on her hand, but it stopped its trajectory towards Ms Chicatory's neck. The girl didn't stop to see the confusion flashing across the woman's face, using the momentum to flip and kick Ms Chicatory in the chest.

Time was running out.

Ms Chicatory's beautiful features contorted into something hideous as she was sent flying back.

Yue Xin aimed for her throat again.

"DIE! YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD!" Ms Chicatory screamed, grasping another knife from the rack she was sent flying into, "DIE!"

* * *

"Here?" Ace looked down the quiet street, the quaint houses lined up neatly on each side. "You sure?", he asked again, scuffing his shoe against the paved walkway.

The cat— or Blackie— turned its nose up in the air as if to say "Believe it or not". Another tabby cat that had joined them on their way here meowed.

"Blackie's friend said he saw the girl and the woman enter here. He didn't pay attention to which house."

Blackie had inquired his fellow feline friends about Yue Xin, since he only saw them for a short distance. Each cat hadn't given up the information for free though, demanding a payment of a tin of cat food or some head rubs.

Blackie meowed. Then it stalked away, tail high up in the air, exposing its glorious behind to the three brothers. The tabby cat trotted off to somewhere else.

"He said 'You're on your own. Goodbye.'" Luffy waved a hand at Blackie's retreating figure, "Thanks Blackie!"

"We came all the here just for this?" Ace shook the pouch that held the money they had gotten from the pawn shop, "Our pouch has gotten lighter just looking for that annoying girl— and we have to search houses now? I'm not doing it."

"C'mon Ace, we're already here anyways," Sabo persuaded, "We spent all that money, we can't give up now."

Luffy added, "Ace, you want to play with Mystery Girl too right? You want it too don't you?"

The freckled boy suddenly found the lamp post beside them very interesting.

" _Mrrow_."

" _Woof._ "

* * *

The knife scraped past her cheek, on the coat of Qi Yue Xin had thrown out at the last moment.

She had not thought that the struggle would take that long.

Was she scared of killing someone? Was she scared of killing Ms Chicatory, that she was unconsciously holding back?

Yue Xin asked herself, and the truth could not be any clearer.

She wasn't afraid. Maybe, she had never been afraid of killing since the beginning. Maybe, she was _just_ a little curious what killing a human might be like.

Who knew? But she didn't care about how she might be a little fucked up— she needed to get rid of this woman threatening her existence. The little window of time the angel trumpet's poison gave was coming to an end. She wouldn't be able to move afterwards with all the pain from the aftereffects of pushing herself.

Killing intent struck out at the woman before her. Ms Chicatory's own killing intent wasn't about to resign to playing the second fiddle; it closed in with a similar intensity, determined to swallow the little girl whole. Yue Xin's Qi-coated hand clenched into a fist.

Both of them stared at each other with bated breath, waiting to see who would throw the first move.

Yue Xin's eyes narrowed. She lunged foward, her fist raised—

Ms Chicatory reciprocated by getting into a defensive stance, and then suddenly, there was nothing.

"W-What..."Ms Chicatory's breath rushed out of her in shock.

Yue Xin had feinted an attack. Her real goal was the three pouches in the living room.

The walls shimmered as the insects turned back in one wave, their legs skittering over each other, rushing back down the hallway to find the master who had birthed them.

Ms Chicatory screeched in frustration, brandishing her two knives. The little brat was never going to get away. "I'm going to pull all your intestines out, AND STRANGLE YOU WITH IT!"

Yue Xin couldn't hear anything at all.

Her sight was dimming, and she was stumbling. But the Pocket was so close, almost in her reach—

* * *

"Wooo~" The husky whined, ears pointed down. The tabby cat headbutted the husky, trying to calm the anxious dog.

A distant, chilling scream.

The three brothers were already scaling the pastel-painted pipe, to the apartment where wilting, purple hyacinths sat on the windowsill, smothered in bindweed.

* * *

Yue Xin felt her legs give out beneath her.

 _No, no! A little more!_

Ms Chicatory's heels stomped down the hallway as Yue Xin pulled at the carpet, dragging herself closer to the Pocket. Just as the crazy woman appeared in the doorway, Yue Xin used her last burst of Qi, and tapped on the black Pocket.

What happened next was so fast that no one could comprehend it.

Vermillion and the stone popped out, the former gearing up to skewer Ms Chicatory in the doorway. The stone positioned itself in front of Yue Xin, activating a defense shield immediately. At the same time, the window shattered into brilliant glimmering pieces as three boys came crashing in. Luffy's pipe accidentally caught onto the floating Vermillion, sending its aim off center. Flowerpots were overturned and petals trampled into mashes of colours under three pairs of feet.

There was only a brief moment of silence, punctuated by the sound of twanging metal as Vermillion buried itself into the wall inches from Ms Chicatory's head.

"What is this," Ms Chicatory straightened, only sparing a glance at the sword trying to free itself from its concrete prison before focusing on the three new intruders, "Your brothers have come to save you?"

The trio looked down at Yue Xin beside their feet, who was struggling to raise her head to look at what was going on. "Ver...Vermil..." The sword buzzed in frustration. The wall it was buried till the hilt in was supposed to be Ms Chicatory's heart.

"Yo, freaky bitch, care to explain what's going on?" Ace snarled, pointing his pipe at the knife-wielding woman.

Ice-blue eyes flicked between the three brothers, taking in their small bodies and battered iron pipes, "I'll just kill you all anyways. Four of her children dead. Your mother would be _very_ delighted."

He recognised the emotion seething out of the woman. He seemed to never be able to escape it.

Ace's teeth ground together, "Fuck you."

Luffy was the first to strike. He jumped across the coffee table, Sabo and Ace launching into action behind. The youngest had his pipe directed at the head, while Sabo and Ace each aimed at a knee. It was as if they had rehearsed this multiple times beforehand, but of course they didn't need to— months of fighting together against jungle beasts had brought their teamwork to an unimaginable level.

Ms Chicatory managed to kick out at Ace, raising her knives at the same time to block Luffy's frontal assault. Sabo's pipe caught the behind of her knee, pulling it out from underneath her. Ms Chicatory tumbled forward, knives lashing out wildly, "YOU BRATS!"

Sabo blocked a swipe from the woman with his iron pipe, the other two rolling out her reach. Ace righted himself, running towards the crawling Yue Xin who had been trying to gather all her pouches and stuff it into the safety of her tunic.

"Let's get out of here!" The freckled boy pulled Yue Xin onto his back.

"W...ait...Mill...Vermill..." She slapped weakly at his shoulder, reminding him not to leave her precious friend behind.

"Sabo!"

"Got it!"

"Luffy!"

"Okay!" Luffy replied, rushing in to block Ms Chicatory as Sabo went to pull Vermillion out of the wall.

Ms Chicatory screamed, "You're not going anywhere!" The woman brought her knife down at Luffy, intending to stab right through his eyeball.

Luffy hadn't spent all those time in wild jungles and treacherous ravines— courtesy of a certain hero of the Marines— to get stabbed through the eyeball. He twisted his rubber neck off to the side, trusty pipe knocking the knife out of Ms Chicatory's hand with a deft thrust.

"I have it! Let's go Luffy!" Sabo threw the sword at the ruined window. Vermillion let itself sail through the great big gap, finding Ace sliding down the pipe, carrying an almost-unconscious Yue Xin. Luffy ducked another attempt from Ms Chicatory to cut his face open and extended his arm to punch her in the face. Sabo took the chance to swipe at her legs while she was distracted, successfully toppling the woman face-down into her carpet.

Luffy jumped out of the window, not even bothering to climb down the pipe. He was rubber anyways.

"My baby...You can't do this to me...Give me back my child!"

Sabo turned back to see Ms Chicatory pushing herself off the ground, her hair an unrecognizable mess, the white dress rumpled and dirtied. Hollow eyes sought out brown ones.

"Baby...My baby..."

Sabo leapt out the window without another look.

* * *

 **Flower meanings:**  
 **Purple hyacinths - Sorry, Please forgive me, Sorrow**  
 **Bindweed - Dead hope**

 **You can interpret it however you want.**


	18. XV

**Happy new year! Cheers to a healthy year for everyone. A healthy body and a healthy mind. Clearly I need to work on both lmao**

 **Lets work hard together to fufill our 2010 (yes, 2010) resolutions!**

 **Also, I had a rough script that I was supposed to follow this chapter, and somehow 4 paragraphs in and I have already abandoned it. I just can't seem to plan anything ahead _(:3 」∠** **)_**

 **dAmnIT i haTE WRITING**

* * *

"Oi! You! Wake up!"

"I'm...awake...you stu...pid..." Yue Xin's head bounced against Ace's shoulder as he raced down the street, making her all the more nauseous. "St...stop bouncing...!"

"We're running," Ace panted, "Not like I can help it you shithead!"

"Hey, you okay?" Sabo's blurry face appeared before her, the concerned black sword floating beside him, "What happened?"

Yue Xin could see another rubbery head appear out of thin air but the body was nowhere to be seen. She must still be hallucinating.

The little girl ignored his question, rolled her eyes back and—

"Is she dead?" Came the worried question from the elongated neck of the raven-haired boy.

"Fainted," Sabo pushed against Luffy's head, "And if you stretch any further you're gonna fall."

As if on cue, Luffy faceplanted into the ground. Sabo ran ahead, chuckling at the pouting Luffy, "Come on Luffy! Just don't lose your balance next time!"

* * *

"...fever caused...poison...dange... can't extract..."

The Churian girl could hear snippets of conversation as she stirred from her blissful 'sleep'. Where was she? Familiar voices yelled at each other— the three brothers, and...the bandits? But the sweet voice didn't sound like Dadan's. Yue Xin tried to open her eyes, and promptly gave up as pain washed over her. She was suffering from repercussions of forcefully using her Qi.

"...CTOR! GET THE...SEIZ...!"

Was something happening? Yue Xin couldn't tell— her nerve endings had been alighted once more— her few seconds of consciousness already slipping back into the darkness. She was vaguely aware that her body was doing something, out of her control.

 _Whatever._ And Yue Xin let her mind shut down.

* * *

A dull headache was the first thing Yue Xin noticed. And something stuck uncomfortably in her throat. The girl opened her eyes, spotting a small empty bowl beside her bed. For whatever reasons it was there, Yue Xin couldn't care less anymore, she grabbed it and coughed out a nasty black ball of blood.

 _Oh. The poison._ Her Qi must have been slowly regaining during her rest and cleansed the rest of her body of the poison. Yue Xin made a face at the bowl, silently apologising to the owner.

But first, where was she?

She could remember Ace and the other two crashing into the house, and...then what happened?

Yue Xin suddenly realised she was wearing cotton.

Fear struck her as she looked down, expecting to see the same white dress. Polka dots printed on the shirt greeted her instead.

 _No. This isn't the same house._ The little girl shook her head to get rid of the image of Ms Chicatory leering at her with knives in her hands. She distracted herself by trying to figure out where she was.

A plain bed, with simple green checkered sheets. The room wasn't decorated much, but there was a vase with a few daffodils. Yue Xin shivered, dragging her eyes away from the thing. She was going to avoid flowers of any kind for a while. _And bugs_ , she thought. A small mirror stood on the wooden table, reflecting her pale pallor. She also smelt of scented soap. She must have been bathed while she was unconscious.

Clearly, it was a woman's bedroom. But it wasn't Dadan's bedroom. So it must be...someone's sister? Mother? Doctor?

The dull headache was becoming the opposite of dull the more she used her brain, so the little girl gave up and opened the door.

Something came flying at her and Yue Xin tried to leap out of the way, succeeding in knocking her head against the doorway, but still didn't manage to dodge the flying thing. It stopped abruptly before it punched her in the gut though— which Yue Xin appreciated— and snuggled right into her arms.

The UFO was Whitey. And the other IFO (Identified Flying Object) coming her way was Whitey's black, sharp sibling.

"Sorry, Vermillion." The stone tapped her arm, "And Whitey too."

The black sword wriggled anxiously, circling her from the bottom to the top.

"I'm okay." Yue Xin grabbed the sword by its red tassel, pulling it back from its dizzying circles. If the two were here and friendly, that means she was in no danger and her real saviour this time could be trusted.

"You're awake! I'll call Luffy and the others over! Oh, my dear, you had us worrying with all the poison in your body!" A green-haired woman fretted over the little girl as she guided her over to the table, "Are you hungry? You've been asleep for four days, I'll fix you some porr—"

"F-Four days?" Yue Xin interrupted the woman without meaning to, "I've been asleep that long?!"

"Your condition was quite terrible," The kind lady explained as she poured a glass of water for Yue Xin, "The doctor said your body seemed to be quite different from others that he'd seen, and somehow your body was detoxing by itself. You ran a high fever, and it finally came down on the third day. Drink your water first, I'll tell you more while I make some porridge." She pushed the glass towards the girl, then turned back to the kitchen— which was all together in the same room as the living and dining.

Yue Xin quietly picked up the glass and downed it (after checking for poison). She deliberately ignored the question in the green-haired woman's tone when she spoke about her unique constitution. "What happened to Ms Chicatory then? Where am I now?"

"Ms...Chicatory?" Kind lady looked confused for a moment, "Is she the attacker? Sorry, the boys didn't tell us much, and they said they found you, and just brought you back."

"Oh," the girl fiddled with the empty glass, a small touch of disappointment within her answer, "I see."

"You can call me Makino, or Onee-chan if you like. We're at Foosha Village, and this is my house. I'm Party Bar's owner." The young lady poured another glass of water for the girl, "The three little troublemakers wouldn't call me Onee-chan even though I asked them to— said they only had each other as brothers and wouldn't accept anyone else. I was really sad they wouldn't call me their Onee-chan," said Makino in a way that really wasn't sad at all. "The boys came in panicking with you on their backs, asking us for the doctor and all that— _oh_ , you should have seen their faces. Luffy was on the verge of tears, and even Ace was frowning a whole lot!"

"Ace-chan?" Yue Xin giggled. She had new material for teasing the freckled boy now.

Makino beamed at the endearment Yue Xin used, turning down the heat of the stove as she chopped up some vegetables for the bubbling porridge. "Luffy kept calling you 'mystery girl', Sabo was trying to pronounce your name but he couldn't, and Ace just said— " Makino coughed awkwardly, "—Now, I can't possibly call you that. I knocked a little sense into the two rude brothers for you. So how should I call you?"

The Churian girl's eyes slid to the small stone she was caressing.

Makino waited patiently.

"Vermillion..."

"Hmm?" The bar owner turned around to see the little girl holding up the black sword which had been floating anxiously around her house these past four days. It had scared Makino when it first came flying through the door with the deadly intent to make "fishball sticks", except instead of fishballs it would be human heads.

"This is Vermillion— " Yue Xin pointed at the black sword who bowed dramatically at Makino, "— and this is Whitey." She held up a white, engraved stone in her other hand. The stone glowed a little as a greeting.

"Mmm."

"You can call me...Tsuki."

Makino's eyebrows rose.

Yue Xin gave a sweet smile, putting a bit of effort into her big eyes, "My name is quite hard to pronounce, so you can call me Tsuki. It's easier."

"I see! Don't worry, Tsuki, I'll tell the boys."

Makino ladled a bowl of hot porridge for the girl. "Urm," She gestured at the sentient stone and sword, "Do they need anything?"

It was rather a silly question, but it showed Yue Xin exactly how thoughtful Makino was. Yue Xin giggled again, poking at Whitey teasingly, "Maybe some trash for Whitey? Very smelly ones."

The stone emitted a very negative glow.

The bar owner laughed, "Your two friends are very cute."

The sword and stone expressed their embarrassment at being complimented in a way only a sword and a stone could ever express it.

Yue Xin decided that she liked the green-haired lady. She was prettier on the inside and outside than Ms Chicatory could ever be. Still, she discreetly checked the porridge for any poison (even though she had watched the whole process of cooking and never saw her adding anything suspicious) before digging in.

Makino sternly ordered Yue Xin to go back to bed after eating, making sure she was tucked in with her two companions and well asleep before leaving to spread the good news that the new friend of the three brothers had awoken.

* * *

Chocolate-brown eyes opened when the front door clicked shut.

"Vermillion."

The sword beside her vibrated in response.

"...Should I go back to see Ms Chicatory?"

It was Whitey who responded instead.

Whitey: (＃＞＜)

"No?"

Whitey: (＃`Д´)

"But..."

Vermillion expressed its bloodlust with an excited tingle.

"You see, Vermillion agrees with me."

Whitey: (╬`益´)

"What if she lures in another innocent kid? Not everyone can escape like me. No one here has Qi." Yue Xin lazily counted the dust motes in the air, disturbing them from their trajectory with a puff of air, "It'll be quick."

Whitey: ٩(╬ʘ益ʘ╬)۶ **NO**

┬┴┬┴┤(･_├┬┴┬┴ (⌐■_■)  
 **you hide and watch the show**

＼(▽￣ \ (￣▽￣) / ￣▽)／... _φ(．．)(．．)(．．) ... (҂` ﾛ ´)(҂` ﾛ ´) (҂` ﾛ ´)︻デ═一 ＼(º □ º l|l)/

 **Get Ace, Sabo, Luffy...** **make a report to the police...** **police arrest Ms Chicatory**

(￣^￣)ゞ(￣^￣)ゞ(￣^￣)ゞ

 **mission complete**

 _(Subtitles available for subscribers of this work only)_

"...I don't get it. Are you telling me about Ace and the others?" Yue Xin turned to look at the white stone. She was going to make them learn how to write, no matter what. Charades had become her most hated game of all time.

Whitey confirmed with a nod.

"So, you're telling me to hide and watch, get Ace and the others to write something, and a whole bunch of ruffians show up at Ms Chicatory's with guns, kill her, and the end?"

Whitey nodded, then shook no.

"What? Yes and no?" Yue Xin violently huffed at the innocent dust motes, "I hate you. This is not fun."

Whitey: (╥_╥)

* * *

A few hours later, when Makino had delivered the good news together with the monthly booze order to the bandits, and came back in tow with three children, a couple of worried bandits, and the village doctor, all they managed to find was an empty bed.

And a note saying she would be back soon.

* * *

"You said you remembered the way," Yue Xin shook the stone in her hand impatiently. She was somewhere in the Town Center, trying to find the same quiet street that the trio had ran down with her on Ace's back.

Whitey: 〜(＞＜)〜

"Hurry up. I want to get back in time for dinner you know. Or else I'll throw you back in the trash mountains to rot forever."

Whitey: ...

The stone suddenly felt that rotting under the trash was a better life than working under this slave driver.

* * *

There was a flurry of panic at Makino's house.

"Did the attacker come back— wait, how did—"

"Where did she go? What happened?!"

"How long has it been? We should go aft—

"Makino! Wasn't the mayor supposed to keep an eye on her?! And her condition is not yet stable! "

"Oh no, oh no! She was sleeping before I left!"

"I'm going to ask the Neko and Inu-chans!"

"Wait! Luffy!"

"Ace! Get back here! Don't run off— Ah, _for god's sake_!"

* * *

After a few pointers (literally) from Vermillion, they found it.

"Knock knock," sing-songed the little girl as she knocked on the door.

There was no "Who's there?", nor was there any noise from the inside.

Yue Xin threw out her Willpower, covering the house with it and scanned the inside for any life signature. One. A weak signal, a dim colour.

 _Good_. The woman wasn't dead.

Using her Qi, Yue Xin pushed against the door, slowly but surely, bending the lock while ensuring it didn't make a sound. When the metal yielded beneath her strength, Yue Xin then turned the doorknob, and let herself in. The first floor was another...living room? The little girl had no idea how these houses worked. Why were there so many living rooms? Was the one at the bottom the main living room and the one on top a small living room? She didn't want to explore though, and just made her way up the stairs and back to the familiar room which previously crawled with black insects.

Now that she wasn't hallucinating, the room wasn't covered in little critters anymore. The sweet scent of flowers had decayed to a sickly scent, which made her heady. It was clear that Ms Chicatory hadn't been in the mood to care for her flowers in the past four days. The couches were ripped up in places, stuffing falling out of them, some strewn across the floor. The walls were bare, paintings crushed and angrily pushed underneath shelves. Shredded paper littered the floor in front of the bookshelves, the books empty and bare of the knowledge that they used to contain. The precious flowerpots were shattered in pieces, soil pouring and staining the carpet brown. Even the white couches and walls weren't spared from the dirt.

 _Heh_. This looked like what Yue Xin would call: a tantrum.

Memories of the incident flooded her, and the little girl's legs shook as she forced herself to step over the carnage. It was over. She was well-rested, her Qi was back, she could use her Willpower again. Ms Chicatory couldn't hurt her in her weakened state. Yue Xin let herself take a good look at the destroyed room to squash out the niggling fear left in her. She stomped her foot on the floor, chasing out the black creepy crawlies out from the corners of her mind, smothering them underneath her foot.

She took a deep breath to steady herself— which was a big mistake, really— and ended up choking on the dying smell of flowers. Well, at least she was (kind of) over the whole incident now.

The Churian girl knocked on Ms Chicatory's bedroom door. "Hellooo~" she called casually, as if she was paying a visit to a neighbour.

Scuffling noises sounded from the bedroom, but Yue Xin didn't bother to check with her Willpower to see what the woman was doing in there. This time, the little girl just punched through the lock, and kicked the door open.

"Surprise!" exclaimed Yue Xin, sarcasm dripping from her tone, "Aren't you glad I'm back to let you chop me up into little pieces?"

The woman collapsed in front of her bed seemed to have years of her life whittled away in the four days she hadn't seen her. Parched, cracked lips moved silently, eyes sliding to the little figure in front of the door; not even surprise could light up the dead expression on her. She was surrounded by another carnage similar to that of the one in the living room.

"Why...are you...here?"

"To kill you." Yue Xin offered up a bloodthirsty smile.

Ms Chicatory laughed slightly, the sound dry and terrible from the lack of water lubricating her vocal cords. "...Do it then."

"Oh, but I was just kidding though?" Glass crunched into powder, paper crinkling underneath her shoe. "I'm here to talk. I'll get you some water."

No way was Yue Xin going to waste her healing circle on this woman.

Ms Chicatory didn't move from her spot when Yue Xin came back with a three glasses of water, placing it within the reach of the woman. Ms Chicatory still didn't make a move to take the water.

Yue Xin cleared out a space for herself to sit and took a cup of water, making herself comfortable. The long journey, even with her Qi boosting her speed, had made her thirsty.

The girl's eyes roved across the destroyed bedroom as she sipped on the water. There was not a single clock in sight, even when she was first brought here by Ms Chicatory.

Yue Xin spoke first. "My condolences."

The woman's eyes were fixed on a piece of shattered glass at her foot, which reflected the sunlight into seven colours. She looked like she was admiring the colours, but Yue Xin knew she wasn't.

Ms Chicatory's eyes were still half lidded. "I've heard that. Many times."

"I haven't heard it yet." Yue Xin took another sip, "But I don't want to hear it."

A small, derisive snort from the lady in front of her. "Your family, friends, must still be alive. You don't need to hear it."

"I don't _want_ to hear it." Yue Xin placed her cup down, tone darkening, "Others might think that I need it now."

Ms Chicatory breathed in slightly, eyelids drooping down in understanding. "You..."

"Mm. So all your crazy ramblings, actually, and all your plans, wouldn't have had the effect you wanted." Yue Xin recalled the grin Ms Chicatory had on her face when she screamed all her plans to cut and maim her in ten thousand ways, finding it a little funny now. If she had the energy to tell Ms Chicatory back then, the look on her face would have been incredible.

"What about the three boys? A heroic rescue— " A series of dry coughs cut off the rest of her sentence, prompting Yue Xin to push the cups closer.

Ms Chicatory seemed to understand that it would be a long talk, and picked up a cup of water with shaking hands as Yue Xin answered her question. "They'll forget about me soon. We were never friends to start with."

"Then..." _If you have nothing here_ , "...why did you come back?"

Some words didn't need to be spoken to be understood.

"To talk."

It sounded like a silly excuse to the woman who tried to murder the little girl just four days ago. Ms Chicatory coughed more, clearing her throat of the itchiness that had developed in the past few days. She pulled her eyes up to meet Yue Xin's, voice still weak, "I'm not stupid. I know you would have killed me back there if you had the chance."

The little girl stared back at the ice-blue eyes that held not a single shred of light. "Not now," she said, her words holding a tone of finality.

Because she knew she didn't need to.

Ms Chicatory's eyes searched hers, finding the answer they both already knew. Then she laughed in self-mockery. "You don't seem like a child."

Yue Xin wet a finger and traced around the rim of the glass cup, creating the resonance of a musical note. She avoided those blue eyes. "Sometimes, I wish I was. Other times, I am glad I'm not."

"How about now?"

Yue Xin turned her gaze to the cracked window, her voice soft and earnest, almost like a prayer, " _I wish I was._ "

They sat in companionable silence.

Unexpectedly, Ms Chicatory was the first to speak: "When do you need to hear it? Others might think you need it now, but you don't want it now."

It took Yue Xin a moment to realise she was continuing their first conversation topic.

"When I..." The Churian girl trailed off. When does she need to hear it? When she finds her parents' bodies? When she kills the _Wu Zun_? When she joins them six feet underground?

"...I don't know. I don't even know who I want to hear it from." Yue Xin sighs, "I will find out soon enough." She turns the empty cup over and over in her small hands and instead begins to lead the conversation. "How about you? Did you accept them when your...ex-husband and his new lover... _died_?" She emphasized on the last word, bringing out another meaning to it.

"How did you know?"

"I didn't know. I was guessing. But now I know."

The broken woman before her cackled, the maniacal grin stretching her cracked lips wide open injected her with a brief moment of vitality. "I accepted them. _Joyously_. Their pity, their empty words of grief. Wept beside his coffin like I wasn't the one who drove the knife into their hearts."

"You had your revenge. Wasn't it enough?" The little girl leaned forward, interested in learning her answer, "They killed your baby. You killed them back. Didn't it sooth your pain?"

 _Why did you still want to kill?_

"Sooth?" Her maniacal grin turning into laughter, bubbling out of her throat until it threatened to pour out of her eyes as tears, " _Sooth?_ "

Yue Xin turned wide-eyed. She didn't understand.

"Dear girl," Ms Chicatory suppressed her laughter, and pointed a finger at her chest, where her heart lay beneath her finger, under the white cotton and flesh and bone, "I'm sure you're asking me this because you are experiencing the same thing. But, even if I tell you, you wouldn't understand now."

"I would." Yue Xin replied firmly.

Ms Chicatory's smile only stretched wider at her answer. "I thought I would too, until I watched them bury the coffins and smooth over the soil. Then I realised we are illogical beings." She tapped the finger against her heart. "You're not thinking with this now."

"The heart cannot think," Yue Xin blinked, "It is not capable of thinking."

"It is. It has always been, and will always be capable of thinking. Thinking for itself. _Wanting_ for itself."

"I always use my head."

Ms Chicatory shook hers, "Not always."

The woman in white watched a frown form on the little girl's forehead. "You will understand it when you the coffin of the one you seek is buried."

"There won't be a coffin for him," Yue Xin calmly crushed another glass shard underneath her finger into sparkling powder, anger seeping into her tone, "There will be nothing left of him."

Ms Chicatory didn't answer.

"I don't want to become like you." Yue Xin didn't stop in her mission to crush every shard of glass surrounding her into tiny pieces, "Tell me, _will I become like you?_ "

The debilitated Ms Chicatory turned to face the little girl, aware that this was the question she had came to ask. Her smile turned into something else, something which Yue Xin couldn't understand even with her unusual deduction skills. There were many things Yue Xin couldn't understand today.

The woman continued to smile her undecipherable smile.

Yue Xin waited. And tried her best to wrap her head around it.

"You're asking the wrong person."

The little girl's eyes widened.

"Ask," Ms Chicatory tapped at her heart again, "yourself."

Yue Xin's frown deepened. "I already know the answer. I don't want to become like you," she repeated.

That same smile again. It was irritating. Yue Xin couldn't understand it. It was annoying.

"Do you regret what you have done?" The little girl asked another question, a little harsher than needed. The irritation needed an outlet.

"Killing that bastard and that vixen? No. I don't. Trying to kill you? I don't regret that too."

"Why?"

"You know why."

Yue Xin's remaining baby teeth ground together. "I _don't_."

Ms Chicatory held her gaze for a moment longer, then she leaned back against her bed frame, eyes back to tracing the iridescent colours reflected by the glass shards.

It was over.

Yue Xin stood up, brushing off feathers and glass. Just as she turned to leave, Ms Chicatory's scratchy voice stopped her in her tracks.

"I too, hope you won't become like me."

The little girl moved towards the door once again.

* * *

Ms Chicatory watched the warm sunlight turn darker, deeper in hue, until golden light of the sunset spilled into her room, staining the glass piece with the same golden, replacing the reflected rainbow with yellow.

No regrets.

Maybe, just one.

"Ed, my baby..." Ms Chicatory picked up the glass piece.

The sunset evolved from golden to a swatches of red, orange and pink.

The glass piece turned red.

* * *

"You— Why did you— Do you know— " Ace switched from one question to the next, unsure of what to say to the little girl staring up at him with an apologetic smile on her face.

"I'm hungry." Yue Xin patted her stomach, walking past Ace to her favourite of the three. "Hey Luffy, do you think we will make it in time for dinner?'"

"Yeah! Of course!"

"No, wait, where did you go? Why did you leave the village?" Sabo held up a hand, bringing the conversation back on the right track.

"Yeah, where did you go?" Luffy echoed, "Everyone was worried!"

"I'm hungry." Yue Xin pointed at the market stalls around them. She was found by the three brothers here. "Isn't that why I'm here?"

Ace and Sabo's eyes narrowed at the obvious lie.

Luffy: "Yeah, makes sense."

Ah, there was no hope left for their little brother.

* * *

 **The kaomojis have some serious formatting problems because of how FF always deletes spaces and limits repeating symbols. * &% *(#":#*&^#( ":#+_damn you ff^% ":+_$#**

 **If you want to see how the kaomojis should REALLY look like, you can find this fic on Archive on Our Own, under the same name and author (lol obviously). I should paste a link on my profile...**


	19. sweet sixteen

_**DISCLAIMER:** **KAOMOJIS SOMETIMES ARE NOT COMPLETE DUE TO FORMATTING ON THIS SITE.**_ _ **YOU CAN FIND THE CORRECT KAOMOJIS ON AO3 (where I post on as well). my profile has the link.**_

 **gg, abandoning the story for almost a month. Happy Lunar New Year. I've been quite busy and I was terribly sick too. Still having remainders of a cough from a fever that was so bad I almost couldn't cross the border back to my country haha (because of the coronavirus there are temperature takings and I happened to just stress myself out into a fever)**

 **Every time I cough people look at me and I'm so embarrassed**

* * *

After much fussing and scolding from the adults who had gathered at Makino's house, Yue Xin still got her share of dinner. Dogra and Magra had returned to the bandit house after checking that she wasn't in any danger anymore, and the doctor determined that it was a "miracle" that the poison was all gone from her body.

When confronted by Makino and the boys about where and why she had up and disappeared, the little girl just went "Vermillion was hungry~" and wouldn't say anything more.

It was human calling the sword black, but Vermillion couldn't shake the accusal off because, well, it was black anyways.

Vermillion to Whitey: (ﾉД`)

Whitey: (っ´ω`)ﾉ(ﾉД`)

The change of excuses baffled Luffy for a while, but dinner was served so he got distracted and forgot about it.

Soon the three boys were chased off after dinner, and Yue Xin was told sternly to stay in the bedroom and rest. Makino threatened to sit by the bed and watch her till she fell asleep but the little girl managed to convince the bar owner that she wouldn't be able to catch a wink with a pair of eyes staring right at her.

So there she was, staring at the ceiling with her sword and shield— uh, her sword and _stone—_ tucked in beside her, doing her daily reflection that had kind of been neglected for almost a week.

And she continued staring at the ceiling until Makino called her out for breakfast.

* * *

Ace was on a solo mission.

A rare time, to not have two other figures flanking him at all times, one chattering about what new insect he had found in the jungle.

He searched his memory, following down the familiar path to the house.

"Hey, hey, have you heard, the florist who always wore a white dress..."

"The one whose husband cheated on her and died later?"

"Yeah, yeah, that one. Her neighbour realised he hadn't seen her for a while so he went to check up on her this morning..."

"Oh dear, that's terrible...poor woman..."

Gossip was abound in the marketplace, women and shopkeepers exchanging information with hushed whispers. Ace's expression darkened. He picked up his speed.

* * *

"Makino-san, I'm really fine!" The girl jumped around, showing just how fine she felt, "Look! I'm all healthy now!"

The bar owner pursed her lips, "Well..."

"It's okay. I'm just going to find them to play. I'm not going to run off again." Yue Xin pleaded, "Please?~"

"Just...Just be back by dinner. And then we need to talk." Makino sighed, giving in to those puppy eyes that Yue Xin had mastered.

"Okay, we'll talk when we get back!"

Yue Xin had no intention of answering any of Makino's questions though.

She bounded out of the door before Makino could regret it, dashing off with Qi towards the Mt. Colubo. Time was running out. She had dawdled here far longer than she intended, and every second was a second further away from getting her parents' bodies back.

Intact or not, she would find every last piece of them and bury them together.

The dead do not rest until they are buried.

* * *

Sabo walked through the bandit house, yet not a trace of Ace could be found. He had been looking for him all morning— with Luffy initally, but the rubber boy shot off to somewhere else after a while, saying that Ace would be back soon anyways.

The youngest of the three clearly hadn't had much on his mind, but Sabo had an inkling of where Ace had gone to.

"Tch," Sabo thumped his pipe against the floor in frustration.

He wished sometimes Ace would include him in whatever he was thinking about. Even though they had become sworn brothers, Ace still hadn't shed his lone wolf act.

The scrambling of the bandits brought Sabo back to reality. He watched in confusion as the usually lethargic men picked themselves up with unnatural speed, rushing to the door to greet someone. "Angel! The angel is back!"

"Hello! Please call me Tsuki!"

"Angel!"

"Angel!" Another bandit echoed.

"No, no. It's Tsuki. I'm not an angel." The little girl, now in a new shirt and pants that Makino had impulsively bought, waved at the bandits, blinding them with her cherubic smile of sugar and spice and everything nice.

"Tch." This time, the click of the tongue was reserved for 'Tsuki' standing right at the entrance. Speak of the devil. Or was it thought of the devil? Sabo wondered if the girl knew where Ace had gone to.

Yue Xin tiptoed to look past the crowding bandits, "Oh, Sabo-kun! Hello! Are you alone? Where is Ace-chan and Luffy?"

"A-Ace- _chan_?" Sabo gasped, "He's going to kill you if he hears that."

"Flowers? Oh, yes, thank you...excuse me..." Yue Xin graciously accepted the bunch of wildflowers a bandit offered up, weaving through her adoring fans like a celebrity to reach Sabo, "Ace-chan wouldn't dare."

Something twinkled mischievously in the girl's eyes.

Sabo felt a headache coming on.

"I was just looking for you. Great timing."

"Me?" Sabo pointed at himself quizzically, "Why me?"

Yue Xin pushed the wildflowers into Sabo's chest, forcing him to take it. She was certain she had gotten rid of the fear she experienced, but her liking for flowers had dropped to an unsalvageable degree ever since her encounter with Ms Chicatory. She never particularly liked them even before that. They were pretty, but pretty useless too. Yue Xin liked things that were useful.

Like the three brothers.

The Churian girl grinned, and the bandits behind her swooned. "Let's go, Luffy is already waiting for us."

"Wait what— You mean..." Sabo gaped at the smiling girl, "...Ah! How could I not have noticed!" He smacked the flowers in his face for his moment of stupidity. The obvious, lying fish lips that the rubber boy always made with eyes that would slant to one side as he told Sabo was getting bored and wanted to go somewhere else. The obvious, out of character decision to go somewhere else without Sabo or Ace, saying he was bored of searching for Ace? Especially when said Ace is off to god knows where?

It was so not-Luffy that it would take an idiot to not realise something was up.

And Sabo was the idiot that was too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice that clearly something was up.

The Idiot pointed the flowers back at Yue Xin's, "W-When did you..."

"Last night during dinner at Makino's. I told him to keep it a secret." Her grin grew wider, "He even practiced how to in front of me, and he's really bad at it. I can't believe you didn't notice." Her lips tightly pressed together to stop the peals of laughter that would erupt at Sabo's exasperated expression.

Sabo could feel that headache pounding away merrily now.

"You should call me Tsuki too. Just forget about pronouncing the other name. Actually, just forget about that other name," Tsuki picked up a flower that had fallen to the floor in Sabo's shock, "C'mon, let's go." She stuffed the flower back to him.

She must have been struck her head on something that night for her to reveal her name to the three dumb brothers.

"Yuo Sin? You Jin?"

The little girl looked straight into his eyes and said, "Tsuki is my real name. I remembered the wrong name in my dream."

There was no fish lips, no side-eyeing nor any suspicious waver in her voice. But—

"You're lying." Sabo's eyes narrowed.

Tsuki shrugged, "I'm just telling you, it's up to you to believe it or not."

She turned, walking to the door.

"Wait! If Luffy's there I'm going to!"

 _Success._

She picked up her speed.

"You— !" The blond boy called, catching the devilish grin as she glanced back. "Ugh."

Tsuki giggled, running lightly to make sure the distance between her and the boy behind was neither too far nor too close. Just enough to make it seem like he could catch her and beat her up. But of course, she was _just_ out of reach.

It was always fun to tease the three. Even if it was just a little, it made her heavy heart lighten.

Now she just had to get Ace to complete her punching bag, but Luffy said that they had been searching for him all morning. She had no idea where the hot-headed boy went either.

 _Ah well_ , she thought, _two is enough._

If she had invited them 'out to play', Sabo and Ace definitely wouldn't agree. So she had to use Luffy as bait, convinced Luffy that they were going on an adventure to "learn about the world", which surely would be useful in his path to becoming the Pirate King, and then hook the two reluctant fishes who definitely wouldn't leave their blockhead of a little brother alone together with a suspicious girl.

One fish escaped, but he would surely appear soon.

"Hey!" Sabo called from behind, "Where are we going?"

Their stamina was something else. Not even a pant after running for so long. Tsuki wasn't using Qi, or else Sabo would be left in the dust, but she wasn't running slow either. She glanced back to the boy who was still holding the wildflowers, lips curling up in amusement. She thought he would have thrown it away sometime along the way.

"You can do whatever you want with the flowers, you know? I gave it to you so it's yours now."

Sabo looked down at the bunch of flowers which had lost most of their petals in the run, "Oh...no, wait! Don't change the topic! Where are we going? Where is Luffy waiting for us? Is Ace..." He swallowed the rest of the sentence. Yue Lin(?) had asked him earlier where was Ace, so she didn't know where he was either.

"You'll know when we get there!" Came the reply from up ahead.

Sabo scowled at the figure in front of him.

* * *

Luffy squatted in the corner, drawing circles with Vermillion and Whitey.

Whitey always drew perfect circles, complete with some beautiful runes and patterns, while Luffy tried to copy with his wobbly circles. Vermillion unexpectedly could draw some beautiful circles as well, though not as complex as Whitey's.

The two sentient, clearly powerful and ancient weapons had been left on babysitting duty.

Vermillion swore once again that it would find a new master to follow instead.

"Luffy!"

The rubber boy shot up, abandoning the stick he had been drawing with immediately. "Sabo! It's you!"

"Sorry, I couldn't find Ace though," Tsuki ruffled the shorter boy's hair. "But I think he'll come later."

Luffy nodded. Tsuki had explained to him that she would bring a surprise if he waited here for her. The surprise ended up being Sabo. It suited Luffy just fine, he liked going on adventures with his brothers.

"So, why did you bring us here?" Sabo looked around the street located in the Town Center, "There's nothing here."

Tsuki: "Exactly. I don't know where to go."

"What?"

"Just kidding," she stuck her tongue out at Sabo, "I'm not familiar with this place, so I wanted you guys to bring me around. Do you guys know where to find merchants that have travelled very far places?"

Sabo and Luffy: "Merchants?"

Tsuki nodded, "Not only them, but any travellers. Sailors— uh, not Marines, but those from trade businesses or anything...Actually, pirates are fine too."

"Why are you looking for them?" Sabo glanced at the two floating objects behind Yuo Sin(?). They always appeared and disappeared without so much as a warning. Was this related to her trying to learn about her missing memory? Maybe even about this two weapons? Honestly, the blond boy couldn't trust whatever she said.

It took one look at Sabo's dubious expression to know that she couldn't just pass over this matter with some vague excuse. Tsuki sighed, and beckoned them to come closer, "Whatever I'm going to tell you now, is a very, very important secret okay? You can't tell anyone else about it."

Luffy bounded closer immediately, stretching his ears with his hands and whispering, "I promise I won't tell!"

Sabo inched closer, still holding that skeptical look.

Tsuki whispered into their ears: "To tell you the truth, after I woke up from...that incident, I regained all my memories."

"What! Really?!" Luffy shouted.

"Luffy! Shhh!" Tsuki whisper-yelled, flicking the rubber boy on the forehead. A small 'ow' from Luffy made Sabo glare at her instead. "Sorry," the girl quickly apologised. _Tch. Overprotective. He can flick him but I can't?_

"So? Who are you?" Sabo hurried her to continue her story.

"I'm a witch."

"A WITCH?!"

"Luffy!"

"Sorry!" Luffy covered his mouth with his hands, "I wof mat a sunf norf..."

"Anyways, I'm a witch from a long line of witches. My family is in the Grand Line, and we are the strongest family of witches in our country. I happen to be the first daughter of our Chief, my mother, so I'm next in line of succession," Tsuki whispered conspiratorially, "and I have relatives that want to take over in becoming the Chief, so they are trying to kill me off so they can be next in line."

She even managed to bring out indignant fury in her voice as she spoke about 'her relatives', "I know they are doing something to my Mother as well. I wanted to find out what it was— but then I fell into a trap they set, and they almost killed me. My...uncle managed to save me and teleported me here." Tsuki bit her lip, forcing her abused tear glands to squeeze out a few watery drops, enough to make her eyes teary.

"I have to get back," Tsuki's voice cracked unexpectedly here, surprising even herself, "I have to get back and save my Mother. But I want to learn some information about what's happening over there first."

Sabo watched the sniffling girl who was trying to hold back her tears. It seemed like the truth...

Luffy awkwardly tried to comfort her, though he didn't know how. His brothers always punched him for crying, but even he knew it didn't seem right in this situation.

"Then...what is your real name?" Sabo told himself not to waver, and pressed on, "And how did you get teleported here? You're from the Grand Line. This is East Blue. It's impossible."

"I have two names, so I did lie to you a bit back there," Tsuki looked up sheepishly at the taller blond boy, "But you can't use my other name, because it holds power."

"Power?" Sabo frowned.

"It's...It can only be used when holding ceremonies." Tsuki was taking inspiration from a legend back in the Empire, where there was once a sect of elusive witches. Their art had gone extinct hundreds of years ago. She learnt this from her mother during a bedtime story. "Th— We perform ceremonies to bless the lands, and other specific requests that people come to us for help. Our name will evoke the magic, and can only be used during ceremonies. It's...uh...sacred. My other name should only be known by me and my close family."

She looked pointedly at Sabo and Luffy, "So you guys shouldn't speak of my other name. Call me 'Tsuki' instead. And if possible, please forget about my other name."

Sabo slowly nodded.

Tsuki thought about how she would need to remember her elaborately crafted lie well enough to repeat it to Makino.

"And the teleportation?"

It took all of Tsuki's effort to not roll her eyes at Sabo. Was her story still not convincing enough? This type of 'kill the Head and usurp his position' story could be seen anywhere in any of the Empire's powerful family of martial artists, so it wasn't a totally new concept. Based in reality? Check. Plausible? Check. Just enough details, but not too much? Check.

Some concrete 'evidence' was sure to put the smart little twat and his diddly hat in place.

The girl waved a hand at Vermillion and Whitey—

and realised with a jolt that Vermillion could tear through all her lies if she 'talked' to Luffy. It had been a miracle that the sword hadn't been pinging "SHE'S LYING" signals to the rubber boy.

 _Damn it._ She had been quite careless recently.

Tsuki mercilessly opened the black Pocket and stuffed Vermillion in.

"Wormmy disappeared!" Luffy gaped at the space where Vermillion had been, "Did you teleport Wormmy?"

The girl checked their surroundings, ensuring that no one but the two boys had seen the sword disappear. It wasn't what she was going to show the two, but she could work with whatever she had right now.

"Uh, yeah! It's a small imitation of the real teleportation magic!" She side-eyed the white stone, as she continued spinning her web of lies.

 _Could Whitey speak to Luffy as well?_

Whitey, sensing its master's intention, sent a chain of kaomojis over.

Whitey: Σ(°ロ°)

ヾ(=`ω´=)ノ" **yes**

└(￣-￣└)) **but**

┬┴┬┴┤( ͡° ͜ʖ├┬┴┬┴ **he can only hear me if I speak directly to him**

 _ **(Disclaimer: Only subscribers of this work can view the magical words that doth stone speaks)**_

Tsuki **_(an unfortunate non-subscriber)_** on the inside: _I don't get it, you stupid stone._

Meanwhile Tsuki multitasked, explaining her 'witchcraft' to the two brothers: "I can teleport things to a small space I own!" Saying this, she demonstrated it again with Whitey, pulling him in and out of the Pocket with her Qi. She was extra careful while opening the Pocket dimension with her Qi, taking care not to let the sword squeeze out of the Pocket. When a martial artist uses a Pocket that is registered under their Qi, only their Qi signature will be recognised, and only their Qi signature can open a gateway to the Pocket's inner dimension. Pockets could also be unowned, which meant that it could be opened by anyone as long as they have Qi. Objects didn't usually squeeze out of Pockets...unless they were sentient and hated being cooped up all the time. Stuffing things inside didn't include any real action of stuffing either. Tsuki only had to touch the object she wanted to send, and pat the Pocket to open the dimensional gateway with her Qi signature. Retrieving things from the Pocket was much easier in comparison; she could make the object appear anywhere in a small radius around her.

Of course, there was a method of opening the Pocket without touching it, but

Sabo and Luffy stared at her wide-eyed. They couldn't see the Pockets that were in— well, the pockets of her pants, but they could see the stone blinking in and out of existence. Like magic. No wonder the sword and stone was not always by her side as anyone would have expected.

"Y-You're really a witch?" Sabo stuttered.

Tsuki let her eyes roll so far back that they could only see the whites of her eye, "You want to see something else?"

Sabo was still wide-eyed in disbelief, "Yeah...show us."

"Come here, Whitey. Show them a simple spell." She poked Whitey, sending a desperate message to the mystical stone.

Tsuki: _Just draw some mystical circle that can make flowers bloom or something. I don't know how to draw one._

Whitey: (⌐■_■)

Under the expectant gazes of the three children, Whitey floated its way to a couple of small weeds springing out from between the smooth cut stones of the pavement. Thankfully, the street had little people and whatever Whitey was doing could be blocked by the figures of the three children.

Whitey glowed, and a circle of light complete with mystical runes and patterns was projected onto the tough weeds.

Tsuki tried to memorise the pattern— it might be useful in the future.

The weeds shivered, then started to grow, as if they were pulled by an invisible hand, growing longer and larger. Whitey retracted the mystic circle before their roots started to crack through the stones. The weeds now came up to Luffy's neck. The girl was a little disappointed that no flowers bloomed.

"See? This is called growing magic. We can make our herbs and plants grow with this spell," Tsuki plucked the weeds out, throwing it into the corner. Leaving the tall weed in the middle of the street was too conspicuous.

Sabo and Luffy's eyes followed the weed. " _Wow_ ," both exclaimed in tandem. The two personally went over to check that the weed didn't dissolve into magical light particles under their touch, "It's real!"

"Do you believe me now?" Tsuki crossed her arms, doing her best to look offended.

"Yeah, I believe you now."

"So do you want to help me or not? I can give you something in exchange. What do you guys want?"

Without hesitation, Sabo requested: "Can you make gold appear? We want treasures. A lot of treasures."

 _Damn it._

"Uh, it's illegal to make gold—"

"So you can do it?!" They interrupted, eyes twinkled with expectation.

"No! I can't!"

All the excitement leached out of their bodies. "Oh."

Tsuki had nothing on her, except some Churian currency and Qi Crystals. However, Goa Kingdom didn't accept any of these.

"Now that I think about it I don't have much to give you in exchange." Tsuki checked her black Pocket, decidedly avoiding the blue one. It might have Beli but she wasn't prepared to open it yet. The green pouch only contained a few more scrolls on other spells other than the Teleportation Door. "Maybe I can go and find some treasures for you?"

"We usually search for treasures in the Grey Terminal— "

"Hohoho, I must have accidentally mixed up my words," Tsuki suddenly flashed a bright smile, cutting off Sabo before he could continue, "I meant, maybe I could _steal_ some treasures for you?"

Whitey: (눈_눈)

Tsuki: (￣▽￣)︻┳═一

Whitey: C= C= C= C= C=┌(;・ω・)┘

Sabo looked at her like she was an angel who had descended from heaven right before his eyes. "Right! You're a witch! Stealing should be easy for you!"

"Haha. Yes."

* * *

Tsuki had no idea how things turned out this way.

They were in High Town, where all the nobles of Goa Kingdom reside.

And she was sneaking through the hallway of a noble's mansion, presence-repressing spell activated, snatching up whatever vases or paintings she thought looked valuable and poofing them out of their places and into her Pocket.

She was committing sins. The King of Hell would banish her to Stone Mill Hell, where her body would get grinded— hold up, didn't she commit the sin of lying as well? She was going to suffer two Hells at least.

Tsuki groaned inwardly. Why did she agree to this again? Maybe she should have just endured going back to the Grey Terminal.

The little girl swiftly swiped a golden vase sitting on a marble stand into her Pocket. She had stolen quite a few items by now, and she was feeling rather guilty. Tsuki decided not to venture any further than the two hallways she had gone through like a vacuum cleaner, and jumped out the nearest open window. She landed without a sound, climbing over the towering wall surrounding the estate that did nothing to keep her out (or in), avoiding the guards with ease.

The fleet-footed girl made it to the tree where Luffy and Sabo were waiting within seconds, jumping up to the empty spot beside Sabo. They were both watching the mansion intently, waiting for Tsuki to pop her head out and announce a mission success.

" _Boo_ ," she whispered into the blond boy's ear.

"AHH— "

"AAAA— "

Sabo and Luffy screamed at the same time, but Tsuki had expected it, and slapped a hand over their mouths immediately until their screams died down. Startled, the two brothers had scrambled back from the terrifying witch, and almost losing their balance on the branch.

"W-What the hell! You just appeared out of nowhere!" Sabo looked to the mansion, then back at the girl who was grinning wickedly at their flabbergasted faces. "I didn't see you come out of the mansion!"

Tsuki just continued her wicked grinning.

"I stol— found some things in their hallways. I didn't take everything they had on display." Tsuki laid out her palm, retrieving a small, fancy carving of white opal and garnet koi fishes riding aquamarine waves. "There are larger things like paintings and vases, but it's difficult to take them out now...Luffy? Luffy stop it, you're glowing too brightly..."

* * *

 _hello i am a shining horizontal line ･ﾟ_ _:*(✧ω✧)*: ･ﾟ_

* * *

On a nondescript island not drawn on the official maps of the World Government, lies a nondescript research facility.

"Careful, the new samples are the best we have gotten so far..."

"Shush! I know what I'm doing!" A tiny mechanical hand extended out from the frame of the high-tech glasses, pushing the glasses up for the frazzled scientist as he threw his colleague an annoyed glare.

"But Dr— "

"You're disturbing my progress. Get out and don't come in until I call for you," The scientist turned his back on his colleague, giddily watching the neon green liquid working its magic on the two samples in the tanks, "There's something different about them. I need to take my time and dig out their secrets..."

The colleague sighed and shook his head before leaving the room. There was no stopping him once he dived into 'research mode'.

* * *

 **Why does Yue Xin call Vermillion 'she'? **  
**Because she thinks of the sword as a female. That's it. No other reason. Vermillion doesn't give two shits about what people call them.**

 **P.S. Mrs Yue thought of Vermillion as a female as well, that's why Yue Xin thinks Vermillion is female.**

 **P.P.S. 'Vermillion' is a name given to the sword by Mrs Yue.**


	20. 17 the straw hats get coronavirus

**I know, I know. You want the strawhats to appear right? it's been 16 freaking chapters, and all you see has only been an annoying little girl and a Luffy who is still a crybaby. So, I WANT TO SAY TODAY, YOU GUYS—**  
 ** _(scroll to end notes)_**

* * *

Tsuki knew there was a newspaper that a News Coo would bring over. Not everyone in the Empire was entitled to one, so she had never had the chance to read it.

Makino did have copies of recent newspapers, which Tsuki eagerly borrowed. It didn't report anything on the Empire— not even about the deaths of the Grand Masters. She was sure it would have been the headlines, but maybe something else was going on there?

There was nothing about her mother nor her father.

Nothing about her too. The dummy head by the Wu Zun must had done its job well.

It wasn't much of a disappointment to see nothing being reported; the Empire of Churia was closed-off, though not entirely. Information was harder to get in or out, with the seas between them and the rest of the world, and especially with _somebody_ who has been tightening their control over the flow of information as the years passed. The landmass of the Empire was large enough to be called a continent of its own, and with a population of millions, they had enough news within their own country to be entertained with.

Tsuki believed that if she grabbed anyone from the four Blues, they wouldn't know of the existence of Empire of Churia in the New World.

Well, except the minority that do actually come to join the Tournament. Of course, each of their identities are vetted by said _somebody_. Including their entire family history, down to how their thrice removed cousin ate how many bowls of rice for breakfast every morning. The Tournament may boast of participation from "all around the world", but anyone who was able to step onto the soil of the Empire were carefully handpicked by the World Government.

Only the World Government was capable of spending so much effort in creating an illusion of freedom.

 _So maybe they are repressing this incident?_

She was sure quite a few of the Grand Masters are dead, which was sure to throw the society into chaos. The seat of a Grand Master— all the sects must be in a power struggle now.

 _Or...do they even know that they are dead?_

Tsuki smoothed out the furrow in her brows with a finger. She didn't need to care about anything else. Just focus on getting back and finding her parents' bodies.

But she couldn't risk getting caught either. She decided to gather information by travellers, as some may have communication lines spread across the world. The World Government can censor and erase information but they can never stop people from running their mouths.

* * *

After the two brothers happily stashed away their loot somewhere which Tsuki wasn't allowed to see, they happily brought her on a trip round the docks, questioning sailors and merchants and bar owners nearby for any news from the New World. Most of them shook their heads, some of them did give snippets of irrelevant information, and none of them offered sweets to the children (which Tsuki pouted over a little).

She always had snacks offered to her with some obvious eyeing and 'oh-no-I-can't-possibly-take-it' smiles. It must be the two horribly mannered wolves behind her ruining her chances.

"I'm hungry..." Luffy dragged his feet across the ground, "Can we eat something?"

"There's some food beneath your feet," Tsuki trudged on. They had spent the whole afternoon gathering nothing but useless information and (with no snacks offered,) she was getting irritated.

"There's only dirt beneath my feet..."

"Exactly."

Luffy drooped like a wilting sunflower, "But...I want meat..."

Sabo glanced at the frowning Tsuki and his whining brother. "We should call it a day here, we tried everyone and they had no news."

Tsuki stopped in her tracks, "No, we haven't tried everyone. We haven't found any pirates."

"Don't be so stubborn. What are you going to do? Sit at the docks all night to watch for any incoming ships?" Sabo grabbed Luffy's hand, "C'mon Luffy, let's go back and hunt for some meat. It's time for dinner."

The blond boy took a few steps before turning serious eyes back on Tsuki. "You should stay away from pirates. I know you have magic or whatever it is, but they are dangerous," Sabo's eyes slid to Luffy, "and they won't hesitate to kill us children."

" _And this bitch here won't hesitate to kill anyone too._ "

Tsuki's head snapped to the left, her face carefully blank. "Ace. When did you come?"

The freckled boy's expression was as carefully blank as hers. But his eyes...

"Ace! Where were— no, what did you say just now?" Sabo's grin at the return of his brother faded into a confused one. Luffy was oddly silent upon seeing Ace.

Ace still didn't let any of those emotions that swirled within those black eyes show. "I said, don't get too close to this bitch."

A moment of silence settled over them, smothering the four in thick tension.

Tsuki held his stare calmly, "Did you go to find her?" It sounded more like a statement than a question that she was asking, "What did you find?"

"What are you two talking abo—" Luffy's nervous pull on Sabo's sleeves stopped him from finishing his sentence. The slow, somewhat pleasant mood from before had soured so quickly that it made Sabo gulp uncomfortably. The two continued their stare down, none of them moving an inch.

Tsuki didn't like confrontations. She never made an enemy of anyone, not when she could have them wrapped around her little finger. People are more useful as friends than as enemies.

The sun was beginning to set. Her shadow stretched out behind her, while Ace's shadow crept towards her feet.

Ace didn't answer.

Sabo tried to cut through the tension, "Um, Ace, she's a witch from the Grand Line. She was sent here after she got caught in a trap set by her relatives. She helped us steal treasures from—"

"And you believed her?"

The cold question from the eldest of the three drew an embarrassed murmur from Sabo.

Sabo and Ace were always careful in placing their trust in others, Ace even more so. Having a mysterious girl pop out from nowhere was something so suspicious they wouldn't touch even with a ten-foot pole, but they hadn't factored in their curiosity. No one should pet a tiger, yet people want to do it even if it might rip their hand off. A girl with magical abilities and a cryptic background was enough to pique anyone's curiosity, especially for the three free-spirited, inquisitive brothers. They knew they should push her away, but the task became harder the more she stuck around. It became even harder when she fed a little of Sabo's curiosity with lies, leaving him wanting to learn more.

Which led to the smart boy foolishly nodding along to Tsuki's story.

Everything would have been fine if Ace didn't tear down that curtain of "friendliness" they put up. They would have continued using each other to their benefit: Tsuki to gain information, Sabo and Ace to satisfy their curiosity.

Tsuki found herself looking at Luffy, the most gullible, most innocent child she had ever met. The boy stared back at her with clear eyes that she had the urge to dig out of his skull— anything to make him stop staring like that.

She let her gaze escape to Ace's frigid one. "I didn't kill her." Tsuki ignored the twisting in her gut; she seemed to get that a lot lately.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sabo's expression harden. He must have understood what they were talking about.

Ace snorted, lip curling up in disgust, "You think I believe you?"

The cool evening wind suddenly felt like icicles scraping across her skin. She couldn't stop her eyes from narrowing dangerously as she gritted out, "Don't be so quick to accuse when you haven't learned the full story. Open your eyes before you open your mouth."

He answered so quickly he almost cut her off. "I know everything," Ace's shadow was creeping up her legs now, "She hated you, tried to kill you, and you hated her for that, so you killed her."

The thick tension had solidified into ice by now, but Ace continued, "I'm not like you."

 _What?_

The abrupt curveball threw her for a loop. _What does he mean by that? What nonsense is he spouting now?_

The tide of anger that had been slowly rising shot up in an instant. A squinty-eyed cockroach bastard like him dared to act like a know-it-all with his pea-sized brain?

"Let's go Sabo, Luffy. Don't ever meet her again. If I see you guys with her I'll beat the crap out of you two."

Throwing down this last sentence, the eldest pulled the other two towards their home.

Tsuki caught Luffy's gaze as he was wrestled away by his brothers. She stood there, glaring at the three of them, with nowhere to release the frustration and anger that had built up. She was about to punch Ace right in the eye when he suddenly left.

"Not like me? _Not like me?_ Ridiculous! Of course he is not like me! I'm smarter than him! That...! That little _bug_! Idiot!" She stomped her foot, creating a small crater. "Damn him! I'm going to beat him up!"

* * *

Makino opened the door to a very aggravated Tsuki-ball.

"Oh! Dear! What happened?" The kind lady ushered the huffing and puffing ball onto a chair, placing a cup of water before Tsuki, "What made you so angry? Did someone bully you?"

Tsuki's eyes flashed at the thought of Ace, "Yeah! Ace did!"

"Oh, no, that boy. He is always so rude isn't he?"

"He's— he's so mean!" Tsuki almost slammed the cup down on the table before catching herself at the last moment.

"I know, I know. Here, dinner is ready, help yourself." Makino handed her a bowl of rice, "Eat up. Tell me what happened."

Tsuki inhaled the food indignantly. "I helped them st— find some treasures, and Ace comes and...and..."

 _Should I tell Makino?_

Makino's brown eyes were trained on hers, "And?"

 _And it looks like Ace was a bigger blabbermouth than I thought._

The little girl paused, putting down her bowl and swallowing the rest of the food. She searched Makino's face for anything that may show that she believed Ace's words. "You know already, don't you? Ace told you."

"Wow, you're really sharp, Tsuki! Yes, Ace came earlier to tell me you had killed a lady in town." The bar owner's tone was light, like they were just talking about the weather, "I don't think you did it though."

"You don't?" Tsuki was puzzled, "Why not?"

"I believe a cute little girl you wouldn't do that," she chuckled, "And sometimes, Ace can be a little rash. He tends to— "

"But she's dead."

Makino's smile froze.

The 'tick, tick, tick' of the clock filled the silence. Sunlight retreated from the windows as night descended upon them.

Tsuki continued, her voice dipping low in the darkening room, "Do you still believe me?"

She watched the bar owner's brown eyes search hers. Then—

"Yes."

"Why?" Tsuki took the wooden spoon she had been eating with and broke off a small portion of the handle, crushing the wood until it turned to tiny wood splinters that spilled from between her fingers onto the floor. "Look. I'm strong. I can kill people. You don't know who I am, where I'm from, what I'm doing here...you don't know anything about me. Do you still believe me?"

"Of course, Tsuki."

The little girl avoided the gentle eyes of the bar owner.

Makino reached out and took the Churian girl's closed fist into her hand, softly pulling her fingers open so she could check for injuries. "It's true that I don't know where you came from, or what happened between you and that lady. However, I believe that every person deserves to be believed in."

Her voice was soft like a mother's embrace, which only made Tsuki focus more on the floorboards. "No one wants to be bad. I believe that you didn't kill her."

"Why don't you believe in Ace's words then? You know him better than me." Tsuki's eyes flicked up long enough to catch Makino's eyes curving into a smile before flicking back down to the floorboards.

"I didn't say I don't believe in Ace's words."

"What?" The little girl's head shot up, "How can you believe him and in me at the same time? It...It doesn't make sense."

The bar owner tilted her head, "Hmm, how should I put this? Although Ace is rash and a knucklehead at times, he is an honest boy, " Makino chuckled at the thought of him. "He tells me _his_ truth, because he doesn't know it is not true. And I will believe in _his_ truth, until I discover the real truth. At the same time, I believe that you wouldn't do such a horrible thing...oh my, it's getting quite complicated."

Makino looked at the confused child, then got up to switch the lights on. The sun had already completely set in the length of their conversation.

"What colour is this light bulb giving off?" Makino asked Tsuki, pointing to the bulb hanging above the wooden table.

Tsuki: "White."

"What we see now is a light bulb that gives off white-coloured light. Say, I believe that this bulb can give off pink-coloured light. But is this light bulb able to do that?"

The little girl shook her head.

"That's what you believe," Makino grinned. "Now, let's imagine that you told me that the light bulb is unable to give off pink light. I choose to believe your words, because it is a possibility. It can be the truth. I can also still hold my own belief that the bulb can shine pink, because it is not proven to be wrong."

Then, she flicked the switch a few times, turning the light bulb on and off. It still lit the room with white light. "But we can clearly see that the light bulb only shines white. Your belief is the truth. My belief is false. Can I still hold on to my belief?"

"...No."

"Wrong. I still can believe that the light can shine pink." Makino made her way back beside Tsuki, kneeling down to her eye level, "A belief is my own wishful thinking about something, or someone. My belief may not be the truth, it could be proven to be _not_ the truth, and I still can believe it— just because I choose to. " She gently cupped Tsuki's face between her hands, gazing into the child's eyes, "It is exactly this strong faith in someone that goes against all logic and reason that gives them strength."

Makino sighed, "Or bring them to ruin."

Tsuki waited patiently for her to continue.

"A belief can be positive or negative, such as 'this person is evil'. It is up to the believed to decide whether they should take it to heart, and how they take it. They can choose to let these beliefs become a strength that pushes them to be a better person, or let these beliefs become chains that they will never struggle free from. And of course, they can choose to not care about these beliefs at all. After all, what does all these wishful thinking from another person have to do with them?" Makino settled back into her seat, taking a sip from the cup of water she poured for Tsuki.

"Oh no, I'm rambling already," she gave an apologetic smile.

"It's okay. I find this very interesting." The little girl found herself smiling back.

"Well, I think everyone should have a chance to let my belief become their strength. Everyone deserves to be believed in." Makino glanced at the dishes that had been left untouched on the table, "I shall reheat the dinner— "

"Were you ever going to ask me if I had really killed her?" Tsuki interrupted, fidgeting in her seat, still gripping the wooden spoon with the broken handle. "I couldn't even tell that Ace had talked to you before I started on that topic. You were...so casual...with a potential murderer like me..."

"I was thinking of asking after dinner, and my mind hasn't changed. So hurry and finish your meal so I can ask you, alright?"

Tsuki's mouth dropped open, "A-Alright."

* * *

The little girl spent some time after dinner vaguely explaining the whole situation (including her very elaborate lie of witches and witchcraft), which earned her several comforting hugs from Makino, and a promise from her to help in any way she can.

Bedtime rolled around and the bar owner tucked her in personally.

But Tsuki still couldn't sleep.

 _Hell no._

She was still fuming mad. The girl tossed and turned around, trying to calm down by convincing herself that whatever the three brothers thought about her didn't matter. She was going to be gone soon anyways. She would never see them again anyways. Ace was a prick, Sabo was a prick, Luffy was—

"Argh." Tsuki muffled into the pillow.

 _And what the heck was Ace talking about? 'I'm not like you'? Not like me? Where did that come from? How...? What...?_

This time Tsuki punched the pillow.

"I'm going to strangle you in your sleep..." The Churian girl pushed herself off the bed, careful to avoid any creaks in the wood, "...I'll let you see what is called ' _murder_ '!"

* * *

It was also a sleepless night for the three brothers...or two.

Luffy had bothered his older brothers for answers till he fell asleep by accidentally letting his eyes blink for too long, but heavy thoughts kept the other two from blissful sleep. They laid beside each other in silence, listening to the rhythmic snores of the youngest.

" ** _b r u h_** she a hoe"

"ikr smhmh no feet pic"

* * *

 **still can't see them in this chapter.**

 **HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH TOO BAD**

 **P.S.I have no idea when they are going to appear too! Isn't that cool?! Even the author herself has no idea!**  
 **I seriously think my fanfic will update as long as the manga is continuing, because I have no idea how to end the story and I need Go. D A to give me some hints on the secrets of the World Government so i can somehow twist it to fit this goddamn fanfic**

 **bruh this chapter gave me a headache to write and the last 2 lines are jokes im sorry**

 **Anyways, i heard most of the world is in lockdown, so i hope this chapter did help in retaining your sanity**


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